Written by Diet Bites

Whether you walk or run, you will burn close to the same amount of calories for the same distance covered.

However, when it comes to health benefits, a slow-as-a-turtle walk isn't going to be as beneficial as the run.  

Why so?  

Keep in mind that the heart is a muscle - our most important muscle. Without this muscle we would not be able to survive.

When we work our body muscles, they gain strength and grow stronger - a no-brainer which doesn't take an exercise guru to stipulate.  The same happens with the heart via vigorous (aerobic) workouts.

However, take note because a fast walk is about equal in health benefits as the run. The trick is to get your heart to pumping.  So many choices - walk, fast walk or run!

Below is an example of how many calories you can burn walking at tiered speeds:

Nowhere to Run, Baby!

There are times and situations when running makes sense and when it doesn't. Here are our running tips:

If it's hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement or in the sand, the runner is putting their health in jeopardy for the following: heart related incident, stroke, sunburn, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, kidney issues related to dehydration.

It's extremely easy to quickly become dehydrated in the heat. For example, even as much as I know about health issues, even I underestimated the power of the sun a few years ago. I was in Nevada enjoying the canyons in July. There were no trees in the area and the sun was at a slant where the canyon walls offer zero shade.

In the beginning of my terrible adventure I wandered down a platform of stairs into the bottom of well-lit canyon then I began to walk - without water, without a hat.

I started taking pictures of the rock formations and before I realized, 10 minutes or so into my walk I started feeling very ill. My husband was yelling at me to slow down and come back, but I had been so fascinated with the rock formations that I kept shooting them with my camera.

By the time he reached me, I was in serious trouble and there wasn't any shade about. Just when we reached the stairs to exit the canyons, I collapsed in his arms and blacked-out. He had to leave me to get water after I snapped out of my dark state. I knew he was going to have to carry me up the long flight of steps, so I managed to get half-way up before he returned with a hat and water.

Then I was able to climb out but was terribly ill afterwards - sick to my stomach. I should have went to the ER but I refused. The thing is that I know a lot about heat stroke and heat exhaustion - and I knew that I could experience a heat stroke a week or more after the ordeal.

About a week later I was at the kitchen table having lunch with my husband when I told him, 'In trouble....body is shutting down.' Before I totally collapsed he roused my attention and got me to the sofa, put up my legs and brought me a cool cloth. I was fine after that - but I certainly paid the consequences for my ignorance.

The situation reminded me of doctors who are obese. They know all the risks and dangers associated with being overweight, what fat can do to the body. Yet they take no initiative to lose weight.

One positive did come out of my ordeal. I sure do listen a lot better to my smarter husband these days.

If you have a health condition or if you are pregnant you need to speak with your doctor before running.

If you intend to join a long-distance race you need to become educated about this undertaking before entering the race. An imbalance in electrolytes can prove fatal if you don't know how to correctly and properly manage them while racing.