"Running and walking are both excellent forms of exercise. Those who regularly do either typically have healthier hearts, stronger bones, and lower body weights than their sedentary counterparts, says Consumer Reports."

"The current Physical Activity Guidelines, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, call for a minimum of 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity."

"So does it matter whether you get those minutes walking or running? Arguments can made for both — and which is right for you depends on your goals and your current fitness level:

• Maximize Calorie Burning: 'The key difference between running and walking is how many calories you are burning — not per mile, but per minute of exercise,' says Paul D. Thompson, M.D., chief of cardiology at Hartford Hospital and a professor of medicine and preventive cardiology at the University of Connecticut. For a 160-​pound person, walking at a brisk, 3.5‑mph pace for 30 minutes will burn about 156 calories. But running at a 6‑mph pace for that same 30 minutes will burn more than double the calories (about 356). “Running is a less efficient movement, and it’s more demanding on the body, so it burns more calories per minute,” Thompson says. “But if you’ve got the time to walk long enough to burn the equivalent calories, then walking is fine.”
• Improve Heart Health: In a 2013 study that analyzed data from the nearly 50,000 people involved in the National Runners’ Health Study II and National Walkers’ Health Study, researchers found that runners’ risk of cardiovascular disease was 4.5% lower than that of those who were inactive. But walkers who expended the same amount of energy as runners daily — burned the same amount of calories—had a risk level that was 9% lower than those who were inactive.
• Reduce Belly Fat: You can help decrease how much fat you store in your middle if you pick up the pace by interspersing some stretches of all-​out sprinting with your jog or walk. High-​intensity interval training (HIIT) — a workout in which you alternate short bursts of activity at close to your peak heart rate with easier bouts — can help eat away at belly fat.

Running may be more high-​intensity and calorie-​burning than walking, but walking is a great way to ease into exercise — no matter what your current health status — and make sure you’re staying physically active every day. The bottom line is that getting exercise of any kind is beneficial — provided you stick with it.

It's important to keep up your exercise routine all year — even in cold weather. That can mean bundling up for outdoor walks or jogs, working the gym into your schedule, or setting up a mini-​gym at home.

While 72.5% of Home Exercise Equipment Shoppers say they will increase their workouts this year, 62.3% spend at least three hours a day in front of the TV, according to AudienceSCAN.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on exercise/​fitness equipment shops and sporting goods stores, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.