Which is better: 30 min on the elliptical or a 90 min walk?

Question

So far, I've been exercising about 4 times a week (MWFS), and I can do the elliptical on each of those days, or I can walk in the desert near my house (which has some hills, and it's not paved). I still do strength training 2-3 times a week.

For a weight stand point, I'm a 22 y/o female weighing 190lbs, and standing at 5'4''

Oh yea, and for the walk, I complete 5 miles in the 90 minutes, so it is a pretty moderate pace. And the elliptical, I do 2.5 miles in 30 minutes on it.

Answer 1

For purely burning calories and losing weight the walking would be better. However, using the elliptical will be better exercise and will be much better for improving your fitness. You could always use the elliptical and walk a shorter distance on your rest days. Research suggests that this would decrease recovery time from intense exercise as well as burning even more calories.

Answer 2

It depends how fast you go on both occasions. Just slow walks won't help as much as fast walking or jogging on the treadmill.