In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhy Walking Is Such a Great Form of ExerciseWalking and Weight LossHow Much to Walk Each DayHow to Step Up Your Walking Workout
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Why Walking Is Such a Great Form of Exercise
Walking and Weight Loss
How Much to Walk Each Day
How to Step Up Your Walking Workout
If you think sprinting, spinning, strength training and other forms of high-intensity workouts are the only “real” forms of exercise, we have some news that might help you breathe easier.
“Walking is very effective at beginning to build a baseline cardiovascular fitness level, and is a great form of exercise—especially for those who have not previously been active or those who are interested instarting a running routine,” says Austin Johnson, a San Antonio, Texas-based NCSF certified personal trainer and the national personal training manager for Gold’s Gym. “For those two types of exercisers, it’s important to start their routines at easier intensities to prevent injuries, and walking is the perfect way to do that!”
We’re not talking about a slow, meandering stroll, though. (Although that can be a marvelousversion of meditationif that’s the goal!) Lace up thosewalking shoes, then read on to discover how to step right up and make your next walk a workout.
Thehealth benefits of walkinginclude healthier blood sugar, a stronger cardiovascular system, improved fertility and more.
“Walking is a great form of exercise for preventing diseases that affect ourmental healthand some heart-related conditions,” says Ben Walker, a certified personal trainer with Anywhere Fitness in Dublin, Ireland. “It stimulates blood flow to the brain and the rest of the body, boosting our metabolism, reducing feelings of anxiety and stress, and improving our overall mood. It also lowers blood pressure.”
Just 30 minutes per day of walking can significantly improve mental health (including reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety) and boost immunity, according to a study published in thePrimary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Regarding chronic disease risk, as long as you’re expending the same amount of energy with either form of cardio—walking or running—you lower your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol at about the same rate, according to research published in the journalArteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
And for overall longevity, each 1,000-step increase in daily walking steps—up to 4,500 steps per day—is correlated to a 28% lower risk for early death, per data presented at the American Heart Association’s 2021Epidemiology and Prevention Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Conference. (Reminder:10,000 steps per dayis the typical goal if walking is your main form of activity.)
Study Finds Physical Activity, Not Weight Loss, Is Key to Reducing Health Risks
Getty Images / stockimagesbank
While walking is fantastic for your brain and body, and can certainly increase longevity and improve mood, walking is not the most efficient type of workout if you’re aiming to lose weight, Walker says. (Still, it is possible towalk off 10 pounds—if you’re willing to be patient enough to space them out across a few months.)
“To lose weight effectively in a day, we need to be at a caloric deficit. This means we need to burn more calories than we are consuming. Women and men are recommended to eat an average of 2,000 and 2,500 calories per day respectively, and walking simply can’t be effective enough to create a deficit,” Walker says.
For example, a 160-pound person walking at 3½ miles per hour for 1 hour will burn about 302 calories. The same individual running at 6 miles per hour for 20 minutes will burn about 356 calories; half the time, about the same distance, but a few more calories.
So yes, walking absolutely counts as “exercise” and can even be all you do to hit yourrecommended workout level per week—more on that shortly—especially if you follow our tips ahead to scale your walking workout and make it more challenging as you get fitter. If weight loss andoptimal healthare the goal, ideally, you’d add a couple days of total-body strength training and some stretching and mobility work once you master your walking workout and feel ready to add to it. (Discover more aboutwhy strength training is just as important as cardio if you’re trying to lose or maintain weight.)
The World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American College of Sports Medicine all recommend that adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate- intensity exercise per week for health, and 300 minutes per week for weight loss.
“Moderate-intensity walking would be a brisk pace, which for most individuals who have no underlying injuries or disease would probably fall between 3 to 4 miles per hour. This would equate to a 15- to 20-minute-per-mile walking pace,” Johnson says.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that if you don’t want to track your pace, simply try thetalk test. Moderate-intensity exercise should have you breathing heavily enough that you can talk, but not sing.
If you’re new to walking, the most important thing to remember is that it’s not all or nothing, Johnson advises. Ease into it.
“As easy as walking sounds, you can certainly overdo it [depending on how] sedentary you were before starting. Starting off with two or three days a week and building up to five days a week over a month-long period is great! Once you become a seasoned walker, if you are interested in moving into jogging, take the same approach of gradually increasing,” Johnson says.
So with that in mind, here’s how to get started, how to step things up and how to eventually progress from walking to running (if that’s your goal).
The Bottom Line
As you can see, walking can be a legit workout and can spark a seriously healthy habit, whether you stick with walking or speed things up. If you want to challenge your upper body, too, considernordic walking. Science proves that walking with poles activates 90% of your body’s muscle groups. Before you start or step up your walking routine, study up onmistakes you’re making when walking and how to fix themto stay safe and injury free so you can comfortably lace up again tomorrow.
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Tell us why!
