Power Walking or Jogging

Power Walking

• Power walking is walking at a brisk pace while pumping your arms. Although you are walking at a rapid pace, you keep one foot on the ground at all times just as you do when you walk at a slower pace. Power walking is more effective if you bend your elbows so that your arms are above your waist and pump your arms in synchronization with the movement of your legs. You right arm moves with your left leg and vice versa. Power walking increases your heart and respiration rates and causes you to sweat without placing undue stress on your joints. If you want to get a good cardio workout without the risk of injury, power walking might be a better choice than jogging. You expend more energy and burn more calories when you power walk compared to regular walking, but you won't experience the same level of intensity as when you jog.

Low Impact

• Power walking is a low impact form of exercise and won't stress your bones, joints and muscles like jogging. Although power walking is low impact, it is still a good weight-bearing exercise that burns calories, improves bone health, and conditions the cardiovascular system for greater endurance. The Mayo Clinic recommends at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. Power walking for 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes in the late afternoon or early evening is a good way to get your daily exercise without the added risk of injury associated with more vigorous exercise, such as jogging. (See reference 2, 6)

High Impact

• Jogging is slow running and is high-impact like running. Unlike walking and power walking, both feet come off the ground at the same time when you jog, which is how you create the impact. When you jog, you trot at a steady pace which allows you to exercise longer than you can when you run. Jogging can help you to increase your endurance and muscle strength while burning more calories than walking. You can cover the same distance and burn more calories while jogging compared to power walking. Since jogging is a high-impact activity, it can increase your risk of joint and muscle injury, so make sure you warm up and wear supportive shoes when you jog.

Calories Burned

• Both jogging and power walking burn calories, but jogging burns more calories than power walking because your exertion is greater when you jog. According to the Mayo Clinic, a 160-pound person can burn 314 calories by walking at 3.5 miles per hour for one hour. The same person can burn 606 calories per hour jogging 5 miles per hour. That's almost twice as many calories burned with jogging.

Fitness Level

• Power walking may be a better choice than jogging if you are recovering from an injury or just starting an exercise program. If you have reached a fitness or weight-loss plateau by power walking, step up your fitness program and increase your calorie burn by jogging. More fit people may benefit from the greater aerobic benefits of jogging compared to walking. Power walking may be a good option for people who have been sedentary for months or years, since it is less intense than jogging. (See reference 3, 4)

Benefits of Exercise

• Regular aerobic exercise, such as power walking and jogging, provide many health benefits that can last a lifetime. In addition to burning calories to help aid in weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight, power walking and jogging help stimulate your brain to produce endorphins, which results in a feeling of well-being. Aerobic activity stimulates your immune system to help you avoid infections, including the flu. Maintaining a healthy weight by including aerobic exercise in your daily routine helps to reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers.