Can I walk too much?

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daedme

New member
I just started dieting again after losing 100lbs on a low carb diet with no exercise and it worked wonderfully until I ate a refined carb for the first time. It was like a crackhead winning the lottery. I finally got over it but not before I gained a large chunk back. It was then that I decided that I was going the low calorie/exercise route after trying to do everything but that for a good part of my life.

Long story shorter.... I am now consuming a low amount of calories (way too low it seems after doing some research here and elsewhere but I plan on upping them to a healthy level) and walking 1 hour a day at least. This walking is either in a public park climbing hills with stretches of flat ground and some days an hour on the treadmill (2.5-3mph). I also plan on adding in some weight lifting soon. I have lost 20 pounds so far but I was wondering, if I up my calories as mentioned earlier, would adding another hour in the evening be overkill or unhealthy?

I am male, 28 years old and 288 pounds currently.
 
I, personally, don't think it would be unhealthy. Some mornings I run 4 miles on the treadmill, then go for a 'power walk' with my mother in the evening if I feel like it and if weather permits.

If you enjoy walking, have enough time to add in another walk, aren't too tired, and your body isn't giving you warning signs and telling you it's too much [pain, etc], then you should be fine adding another hour in the evening. Just make sure to up your calories to a healthy level. :)
 
Thanks for the reply. After starting strength training today I am not so sure I will add that extra hour in after all :ack2:. Good to know I can if I choose to though.
 
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daedme,

"Walking too much?" is a very hard question to answer. Being a male, one should have the muscle mass to walk longer. Being young (age 28), one should have a strong heart for longer time and/or harder exercise intensity. But being 288 lbs on one's knee joints could cause knee pain. Each body is different.

To reduce the risk of too much knee stress, may I suggest a variety of different exercises "every day". From the tips of your toes, to knees, to hips, to stomach, to arms to neck to even wrists. If you can, target different muscle groups "every other day". Thus, given the body muscles and joints a day of rest. For example, give the knees a "stress break" every other day.

If you can, do peddle bike riding, do walking (like you are), do swimming, do boating (like canoe / kayaking), to non-impact glider, do free form hand weights, do sit-ups, do 45 degree push ups, etc. etc. For lots of cool floor postion (with & without soft ball) video example, surf entire page at:

When my body was 242 lbs @ 5' 10.5", I pushed my body with 3 hours of exercise "each day". And, I kept a good rotation between muscle build and cardio burn exercises as well. This worked great - on my body. Go slow and let your body tell you when its reached its max. re: If it hurts, do a different type of exercise for a while.

Hope this helps as well...

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YES. There is such a thing as "walking too much". Doing anything in life "too much" will have a negative impact on one's body. This is one guarantee in life.

My half-sister is a certified trainer and a fitness addict. Her favorite machine is the "spin machine". She'd do this exerise for 4+ hours a day. Guess what happended to her? Her knees are now burnt out and her hips are burnt out as well. Doctor told her to do different exercises (like swimming or boating - that focuses more on upper body) then cotinuing to burning out her knees. At her previous "over stress the knees" pace, she will need knee & hip replacements within another 5 years. Now, she has a much better "balanced" daily exercise routine. Lesson learned the hard way...

As a suggestion, get yourself a Pedometer and do record your daily steps. Many say that 10,000 steps per day is a good number to strive towards. More then 15,000 steps (every day) and one's knee and hip joints are taking more "stress" then they need.

For more details, surf:

If wondering, doing anything too much (even eating banana splits - LOL!!) has a negative effect on the body. For walking, between 10K to 15K step is more then enough stress on the average knees. After 15K, one raises the risk of long term body damage - just like my half-sister (who said it would never happen to her).

Something to think about...

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I think the general idea is 'not unless you really try hard too'
If you feel your body telling you to back off you will know it, and that doesnt nessarily mean sore muscles from just being new to it either! :)
 
I like taking long walks. I like to actually be going somewhere to rest, like a park, instead of wandering aimlessly.

Yesterday, I walked about 4 miles. I wasn't really out of breath, but my feet were in pain. I'm pretty sure if my feet didn't hurt I could have been walking the whole day :reddevil:

But yeah, I'm so glad I'm walking like that now. I just need to do it regularly and I'll finally see real results.
 
Have you ever heard of Nordic Walking? You use short poles to both give your upper body a workout and simultaneously take some of the stress off your knees.

I have bad knees too, and it really seems to work.

Plus, by most accounts you average 20% more calories burned than just walking.

I won't post a link because I think that's frowned upon here; just google it if you are interested.
 
Walking is the best exercise =) especially you can do it anywhere, it's free, don't need sport shoes especially (vs running), can do it going to work and back, saves you money from transport.
You don't have to walk fast, or a lot, just see how much you can is my advice. If your knees hurt, take a break etc..
I love walking myself =) hiking, touring around. Last day went to work and walked at 4.5 mph for 1h10, realised it didn't take me longer than public transport. haha
 
When my ex-b got seriously into hiking and walking, he was first using walking sticks. They do add a new element to the workout - and helped with his back issues and supported his weight. However, what really made a big improvement for him was buying a book specifically written to help a person walk "properly." You wouldn't believe how many things a person might be doing wrong that doesn't affect their body on short walks, but when you get into is more seriously, those little "wrong steps" can hurt you. So invest in some research for sure. And I totally agree with what Spike99 said about doing anything "too much." That's totally true. I knew a girl who was an aerobics instructor who started damaging her knees so badly that she switched to spinning/biking - which finished off her knees. Bad stuff. Moderation in all things.
 
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