By Karl Lenser

Question: Jim and Joe each weigh 150 pounds and have similar metabolic rates. They decide to enter a 10K (6.2 mile) race. Jim decides to “power walk” the course and traverses the course at a steady 4.0 mph (15 minutes per mile pace). Joe is a runner and averages 8.0 mph or 7.5 minutes per mile for the course.

Do they burn the same number of calories? They each covered 6.2 miles and they each weigh 150 pounds.
Answer: No. Joe, the runner, would burn more calories because he covered the 6.2 miles in less time than it took Jim to walk the course.
Here is the math that backs up the answer. To simplify the math, we will assume that the course is flat. This is a bit scientific, but you will see how the caloric burn rate is calculated.

Caloric summary
Jim walked the 6.2 mile course in 93 minutes and burned 450 calories.
Joe ran the 6.2 miles in 46.5 minutes and burned off 735 calories.
The running effort burned 285 more calories or 63 percent more than the walking effort. Note that Joe burned his 735 calories in half the time it took Jim to burn his 450 calories.
Let’s say that Jim, our walker, weighs in at 200 pounds instead of 150 pounds. The answer is that he would burn off 6.46 calories per minute and would expend a total of 601 calories. The extra 50 pounds would add an additional 150 calories to his work effort.
The main point in this math lesson is that in order to expend a greater amount of calories while walking or running, you will need to increase your speed to meet this goal. If you have been a consistent walker or jogger and are getting comfortable with your current pace, try to ramp up the speed a bit to elevate both your heart rate and caloric expenditure meter.
If you are a treadmill user, try to bump up the speed by a few tenths per mile or increase the grade of the treadmill. I am amazed at how many individuals fail to realize how valuable the “up” button is on the treadmill. Just increasing the grade from 0 percent to 3 or 4 percent can make a significant boost in your calories burned per minute. Keep the same speed, but increase the grade.
For the running enthusiasts, try to run with someone that is slightly faster than you. Even if you can only hang with him/her for a portion of the route, it will, over time, improve your fitness and caloric expenditure. Adding hill work to your running routine will also improve your stamina, strength, speed and caloric output.

Biomechanical inefficiencies
One thing that I would like to mention is that a walking pace that just about requires you to break into a jog is more effective as a calorie burner than if you jogged at a super slow pace. You are biomechanically inefficient at a brisk walk as opposed to a slow jog. This inefficiency is a good thing because you expend more calories when you are less efficient biomechanically.
The same analogy can translate into the swimming pool. An individual who is learning how to swim will expend a greater amount of calories as opposed to the smoothly polished swimmer who moves like a seal through the water. The biomechanical inefficiencies cause heart rates to elevate and a recruitment of many muscles that leads to a higher caloric output.

Being active
Be sure to remember that ALL physical activity is beneficial to you. Getting off the couch and moving the body will yield a multitude of benefits that include weight loss, lower blood pressure, less risk for heart disease and improved self esteem. Also, it will allow one to handle stress in a more efficient manner.
So whether you label yourself as a walker or a runner, you are getting health benefits by choosing to be active. Walking is by far the most popular aerobic activity because just about everyone can do it without much discomfort or pain. Running is not for everyone because of the greater stress it places on joints and the musculoskeletal system. Both of these activities are very good for your health.
Remember that the “best” activity is the one that you enjoy and can stick with for a lifetime.