A walk/run does just as much benefit as a full-on jog

I've been reading up about what the best ways are to maintain weight and also increase cardio capabilities. Strangely, a lot, or even most of the literature I read is saying that for endurance running, which is what I am trying to do, that moderate but longer exercise is better for overall endurance and weight management than short-burst burns of energy at a high level of physical output.

What I am trying to say is that going on a really long but easy-going walk actually does more for you than going on a rather intense 20 minute or even 30 minute run.

Is it true? I don't really know, but I do know which one is easier.

I didn't walk the entire thing even though that is what the literature tells me to do because, even if it just a mental thing, I don't feel like walking is real exercise. My own personal "jury" is still out on this because I don't feel like a walk can ever be as beneficial as a run or jog but I do like these easy days where I just run until it starts to be a bit uncomfortable and then I slow down to a fast walk and drink some ice cold water.

It's far more relaxing, doesn't hurt my joints as much, and it's apprently still beneficial. These smart watches can't really be trusted because it is just a mathematical forumula that multiplies your age and weight against your heart rate. That seems scientific enough though, at least for people that aren't needing exact information.

There was no dedicated start and stop distance in this system. The idea was to just get out there and work for an hour and that is exactly what I did. In the end, this burned the same amount of calories (or close enough) as a uninterrupted 5km run followed by walking out the remaining 20-30 minutes.

Some days a 5k seems effortless and I will normally know what kind of day I am dealing with once I get to about km 1 and a half. If I feel like this is nothing, I keep going, but if it starts to be something that I am not enjoying I slow to a walk.

My primary focus in all exercise that I do is that the process or the activity cannot become something that I loathe. Doing that sort of exercise is a perfect way to end up throwing the exercise out and not doing it at all. This is the reason why a lot of people abandon exercise and I guess I am looking for something I am not going to give up.

You will not catch me going on 1.5 hour straight walks. I get bored and will start running. But on the days that I just don't feel like it, getting out there and just walking and seeing if I get inspired to do a run is better than the alternative which would be to sit on my sofa watching Netflix and dreaming of Doritos.