Running head: WALKING VS. RUNNING
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1. Cover sheet includes title, name
of author(s), and school name. Do
not precede author name with “By.”
Walking vs. Running
Aaron Patterson
Brantley College
WALKING VS. RUNNING
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Abstract
This essay compares and contrasts running and walking in terms of time commitment, calorie
expenditure, and effort. Through studying the research on both activities and weighing the
respective advantages, this essay demonstrates some of the most important considerations people
should make in engaging in these forms of exercise. Both walking and running can be effective
forms of exercise, but the most important consideration is health, so consulting a physician is
crucial.
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version of the title flush left, with
the page number flush right.
WALKING VS. RUNNING
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3. Use 1-inch margins in the
entire essay.
Walking vs. Running
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Today’s athletes might be surprised that the earliest runners did so while nude. As
uncomfortable as that sounds, running is a great way to keep healthy, clothes or no clothes.
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Recent studies show that walking also offers similar benefits. Both are a great way to get in
should be centered with no bolding,
underlining, or italicizing.
shape; however, you should understand the unique features of each before you choose between a
running and walking regimen.
Running and walking require different levels of time commitment. It is entirely possible
to burn as many calories walking as it is running, but it will take much longer. The exact
numbers depend upon how fast you run versus how fast you walk, but a good rule to remember
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is that it takes twice as long to walk off the same number of calories as it does to run them off
by .5 inches.
(Reynolds, 2013). If you have a limited amount of time and want to burn as many calories as you
can, running might be a better option; however, you may not be able to run very long, and in that
case, walking, or a combination of the two could be the best choice.
While both activities burn calories, their other benefits are quite different. Interestingly, a
study by Williams (2013a) shows that runners are thinner than walkers, even when the two
groups expend the same amount of energy (p. 706). Researchers believe that running produces an
appetite-suppressing hormone that walking does not (Larson-Meyer et al., 2012, p. 9). However,
if you are looking to do more than lose weight, you may want to stick to walking. Another study
by Williams (2013b) showed that walkers had a lower incidence of age-related cataracts when
compared to both runners and the general population (p. 1089). Walkers also had lower
WALKING VS. RUNNING
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incidences of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes (Thompson &
Williams, 2013, p. 1085). Which activity is best for you depends upon your health goals.
The last consideration you should make before choosing between a walking or running
plan is the effort each requires. While it seems counterintuitive, to stay healthy, runners need to
actually slow down from time to time as they run. Walking breaks reduce injury (Parker-Pope,
2009, p. D1). On the other hand, walkers would greatly benefit from picking up the pace a bit.
This has been shown to lengthen walkers’ lives. It seems that a combination of the two exercises
might offer more benefits than just one or the other. Hopefully future studies will delve into that
very question.
According to a study in PLOS Medicine, people will gain seven more minutes of life for
every six minutes that they exercise, and both running and walking can be excellent choices for
you to increase your life-expectancy and improve your overall lifestyle (Moore, 2012, p. 35). As
with any exercise routine, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning any new regimen.
7. Use
“References”
as the title. It
WALKING
VS. RUNNING
should be in plain, 12 pt. font with no
bolding, underlining, or italicization.
8. References page is
on its own page.
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References
Larson-Meyer, D. E., Palm, S., Bansal, A., Austin, K.J., Hart, A.M., & Alexander, B. (2012).
Influence of running and walking on hormonal regulators of appetite in women. Journal
of Obesity, 2012, 1-15.
Moore, S.C., Patel, A. V., Matthews, C. E., de Gonzalez, A. B., Park, Y., Katki, H. A., . . . Lee, I.
(2012, November 6). Leisure time physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity and
mortality: a large pooled cohort analysis. PLOS Medicine 9(11), 1-14.
9. Use hanging indentation for citations
that are
than
one p.
line.
Parker-Pope, T. (2009, June 2). Better running through walking.
The longer
New York
Times,
D1.The second
line and every line thereafter should be
indented
.5 Retrieved
inches. from
Reynolds, G. (2013, May 29). Is it better to walk or run? [Web
log post].
10. Citations http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/is-it-better-to-walk-or-run/
should not be bulleted or numbered.
Thompson, P.T., and Williams, P.D. (2013). Walking versus running for hypertension,
cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus risk reduction. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and
Vascular Biology 33(5), 1085–1091.
Williams, P. (2013a). Greater weight loss from running than walking during a 6.2-yr. prospective
follow-up. Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 45(4), 706–713. doi:
11. Citations should be properly formatted and
punctuated.
Williams, P. (2013b). Walking and running are associated with similar reductions in cataract
10.1249/MSS.0b013e31827b0d0a
risk. Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 45(6), 1089-1096. doi:
10.1249/MSS.0b013e31828121d0
12. Citations for online sources should
include either the doi or the URL.
13. Citations need to be arranged in
alphabetical order. Authors should be listed
with first initials and last names.
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