Walking - why my watch does not respond

I have been walking. A lot. On some days, I even walk 30,000 steps a day. My goal is to get to 50,000. However, my watch does not seem to like what I do, and my VO2Max does not change. 

Let me start at the beginning. VO2Max is a measure of the amount of oxygen your body can deliver, measured in oxygen per litre of blood. Naturally, more is better. 

Walking a lot is beneficial for you. Walking occurs at a steady pace without straining your body. Your heart rate is close to the low 100's. At my age, that is the perfect number for training my cardiac muscle. 

Walking long distances trains your body to burn fat instead of glucose. Your fat stores are among the biggest sources of energy you possess. Training your body to burn fat is excellent for you. 

So then why does my watch not like it? Why does my VO2Max not increase? 

It turns out that VO2Max measured on my watch is more sensitive to rapid heart rate changes. So, for example, if I ran for two minutes in my two-hour walk, my VO2Max would register a change. 

Hours of waking would not do the same. So if I wanted a higher number, should I run instead of walking? 

The short answer is no. You don't want to game your numbers. Your goal is to get fit. 

To be fit, you need stronger cardiac muscles, better endurance, and fat-burning capacity. All come from long sustained efforts. 

But what about the VO2Max, you might ask? Your watch is misleading you, sorry to say. Your watch measures your pulse, not your heartbeat. It's too far from your heart to accurately measure your heart rate. 

So when your pulse jumps, it uses an algorithm to determine how much your VO2Max is. It's an estimate, not an accurate one. 

Sometimes the effort is more important than the scoreboard, especially if the scoreboard is inaccurate.

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