July 16, 2015

How Does Walking Compare with Working Out on an Elliptical Machine?

 

Both an elliptical machine and walking can give you different health benefits. But there are things to consider in helping you choose which option is the right one for you.

Calories burned and the ease of including it into your daily routine, as well as how much body workout you can obtain are a few things to remember. This can help you choose which of the two can meet your health goals.

Benefits of an Elliptical Machineelliptical machine

It gives you a good body workout. When it comes to its impact to your knees, hips and back, an elliptical is said to be low. Thus, it’s best for those with injuries and medical issues.

Even though it’s low-impact, working out with an elliptical is considered weight bearing. Thus, apart from getting the benefits of an exercise, you are also building bone density. Most elliptical machines these days came with poles that let you exercise your upper and lower body at the same time.

Using it will let you work, not just your hamstring but also your calf muscles.

Now, let’s go to the benefits of walking.

side view of a couple walking on the beach

Benefits of Walking

One of the best benefits is that it’s low cost. It’s a great way for you to enjoy the outdoors while you get vitamin D. And when you swing your arms while walking, you’re turning this exercise as a full-body workout.

The Ease of Use

Walking exposes you to a lot of things, including pollution. But an elliptical machine takes bad pollution out of the equation. Not to mention bad weather. With elliptical machine, you can be more consistent with your workout as you can use it during winter or rainy days.

And the number of calories when working out with an elliptical is also higher than working out through walking. Walking for 30 minutes at 4 mph will only allow you to burn up to 152 calories. Working outs on elliptical machine for the same length of time will let you burn up to 300 calories.

Our exercise experts at Back to Wellness Center will help you get started with elliptical machine. They also recommend walking on alternate days. In this way, you can prevent burnout or exercise plateaus.

Walking and elliptical machine truly offer plenty of health benefits. It’s really up to you to decide which one offers the better benefits for your condition.

Written by Doran Hendelman D.C.

Article written by Doran Hendelman D.C.

Doran Hendelman holds a Doctorate in Chiropractic from Cleveland Chiropractic College and his technique ranges from manual adjustments to low force technique. Dr. Hendelman is committed to treating the body as a whole and by integrating chiropractic with other forms of therapy he helps patients realize stronger and healthier bodies.

Health Resources

The following resources have been assembled to provide you with more wellness care information available on the internet.

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