The simple answer is YES.
While walking is great for your health by boosting cardiovascular health, toning and strengthening muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bone health, jogging, has more drawbacks than benefits when it comes to aging.
The more strenuously you work your body, the greater the calorie burn. The more calories burnt, the more weight potentially lost. The issue is that there is a lot more to the equation than just calories.
In your youth, your body is strong, your heart is healthy, and exercise by running or jogging, bringing your heart rate up to near its maximum capacity for a time isn’t an issue. As we age that maximum capacity begins to drop. When you go too hard and your heart pumps at too high of a heart rate you aren’t just burning unwanted fat – you are also causing your body to go after the muscle. This is why you see so many runners who are not fat by any means, but their body composition is often that of a “thin fat” person. Meaning they are lean but not solid.
To garner the most benefit a quick walk is far better for you overall keeping your heart rate in the fat burning range of 132-142 vs the higher rates jogging and running bring on.
Take a moment to really look around and notice the people at your gym – they work out for months and even years and you won’t notice much difference in the way that they look, despite a lot of effort. Long sessions of cardiovascular exercise can actually accelerate the aging process. Why? Because it increases free radicals. These free radicals are scavengers that prey on your body’s tissue and nutrients. Unless you are training for a marathon, most gym goers are overdoing it on the cardio, especially if running or jogging. It is hard on your joints from your ankles, knees, hips, all the way up to jarring your shoulders and neck repeatedly.
The other issue is with dehydration. Water helps you burn fat as well as suppress hunger. Drinking a gallon of water a day can take years off your look, help you drop extra fat, save your liver and kidneys from overworking chronically, allowing you to have more energy. Your liver is your number one fat burning organ. If it is chronically overworked with toxins, it cannot do its job and that extra fat will stick.
HIIT cardio is the answer. High-Intensity Interval Training. This involves no running. HIIT has been shown to burn more fat, keep your heart healthy, and save your joints. HIIT essentially goes back and forth between high and low heart rate. This gives the biggest fat burn.
If you intend to do weight training that day do the weight training first rather than the HIIT cardio. You will have more energy and feel less worn out at the end.
HIIT training Directions – it can be done outside with no equipment, on a treadmill, an elliptical, a bike, a lateral machine, or even a rowing machine. Start out with 30-second intervals. Start slow and warm up. Then begin to alternate between 30 seconds all out at a good pace nice and fast (you can even crank up the grade or level) and then bring it back down to almost nothing allowing your heart to relax and slow back down. Repeat over and over again for 10-15 minutes.
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