Question

Milly and Sally are two 75 kg women that each want to lose weight. Milly argues that it doesn't matter whether they walk or run, they will expend the same amount of calories doing either activity, if they cover the same amount of distance. Assuming they each travel a distance of 3.0 miles on the level during their exercise sessions and Milly walks 3.0 mph while Sally runs 6.0 mph, and assuming there is no error in the ACSM Metabolic equations, is it true that they will expend the same amount of energy?

Answer 1

Running burns more calories than walking even though the distance covered is the same, this is due to the increased intensity of the exercise.

Step-by-step explanation:

Contrary to Milly's belief, the amount of calories expended during exercise depends not just on the distance, but also on the intensity of the activity. When we compare walking and running for the same distance, the latter, being a more strenuous activity, would require more energy, hence burn more calories. Using the ACSM Metabolic equations, it can be calculated that a 75 kg person running for half an hour at 6 mph burns around 450 calories, while walking for an hour at 3 mph would burn approximately 270 calories.

Learn more about Calorie Expenditure