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- Know the benefits. Physical activity doesn't need to be complicated. Something as simple as a daily brisk walk can help you live a healthier life. For example, regular brisk walking can help you
- Consider your technique. Proper walking technique. Turning your normal walk into a fitness stride requires good posture and purposeful movements. Ideally, here's how you'll look when you're walking
- Plan your routine. As you start your walking routine, remember to: Get the right gear. Choose shoes with proper arch support, a firm heel and thick flexible soles to cushion your feet and absorb shock.
- Set realistic goals. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity.
- Is walking good for you?
- 1. Burn calories
- 2. Strengthen the heart
- 3. Can help lower your blood sugar
- 4. Eases joint pain
- 5. Boosts immune function
- 6. Boost your energy
- 7. Improve your mood
- 8. Extend your life
- 9. Tone your legs
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Walking can offer numerous health benefits to people of all ages and fitness levels. It may also help prevent certain diseases and even prolong your life.
Walking is free to do and easy to fit into your daily routine. All you need to start walking is a sturdy pair of walking shoes.
Walking can help you burn calories. Burning calories can help you maintain or lose weight.
Your actual calorie burn will depend on several factors, including:
•walking speed
•distance covered
•terrain (you’ll burn more calories walking uphill than you’ll burn on a flat surface)
•your weight
Walking at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week can reduce your risk for coronary heart disease by about 19 percent. And your risk may reduce even more when you increase the duration or distance you walk per day.
Taking a short walk after eating may help lower your blood sugar.
A small study found that taking a 15-minute walk three times a day (after breakfast, lunch, and dinner) improved blood sugar levels more than taking a 45-minute walk at another point during the day.
More research is needed to confirm these findings, though.
Consider making a post-meal walk a regular part of your routine. It can also help you fit exercise in throughout the day.
Walking can help protect the joints, including your knees and hips. That’s because it helps lubricate and strengthen the muscles that support the joints.
Walking may also provide benefits for people living with arthritis, such as reducing pain. And walking 5 to 6 miles a week may also help prevent arthritis.
Walking may reduce your risk for developing a cold or the flu.
One study tracked 1,000 adults during flu season. Those who walked at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes a day had 43 percent fewer sick days and fewer upper respiratory tract infections overall.
Their symptoms were also lessened if they did get sick. That was compared to adults in the study who were sedentary.
Try to get in a daily walk to experience these benefits. If you live in a cold climate, you can try to walk on a treadmill or around an indoor mall.
Going for a walk when you’re tired may be a more effective energy boost than grabbing a cup of coffee.
Walking increases oxygen flow through the body. It can also increase levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Those are the hormones that help elevate energy levels.
Walking can help your mental health. Studies show it can help reduce anxiety, depression, and a negative mood. It can also boost self-esteem and reduce symptoms of social withdrawal.
To experience these benefits, aim for 30 minutes of brisk walking or other moderate intensity exercise three days a week. You can also break it up into three 10-minute walks.
Walking at a faster pace could extend your life. Researchers found that walking at an average pace compared to a slow pace resulted in a 20 percent reduced risk of overall death.
But walking at a brisk or fast pace (at least 4 miles per hour) reduced the risk by 24 percent. The study looked at the association of walking at a faster pace with factors like overall causes of death, cardiovascular disease, and death from cancer.
Walking can strengthen the muscles in your legs. To build up more strength, walk in a hilly area or on a treadmill with an incline. Or find routes with stairs.
Also trade off walking with other cross-training activities like cycling or jogging. You can also perform resistance exercises like squats, lunges, and leg curls to further tone and strengthen your leg muscles.
Walking can help you burn calories, lower blood sugar, ease joint pain, boost immunity, and more. Learn how to get started, stay safe, and increase your life span with walking.
Mar 17, 2021 · Learn how to walk more often, improve your technique, and choose the right shoes and clothes for walking. Find out how walking can help you burn calories, reduce health risks, and enjoy the outdoors.
- Wendy Bumgardner
- 1. Walking Can Help You Burn Fat and Lose Weight: When you walk for more than 45 minutes at a brisk pace, your body must burn stored fat. This help...
- Whether you are about to start a walking program or you've been walking regularly, it pays to work on your walking posture and stride to get the mo...
- Once you have been walking more at home, work or school, you may now wish to take a more challenging walk or start exploring on foot. 1. Plan a wal...
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- Counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes. Harvard researchers looked at 32 obesity-promoting genes in over 12,000 people to determine how much these genes actually contribute to body weight.
- Helps tame a sweet tooth. A pair of studies from the University of Exeter found that a 15-minute walk can curb cravings for chocolate and even reduce the amount of chocolate you eat in stressful situations.
- Reduces the risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers already know that any kind of physical activity blunts the risk of breast cancer. But an American Cancer Society study that zeroed in on walking found that women who walked seven or more hours a week had a 14% lower risk of breast cancer than those who walked three hours or fewer per week.
- Eases joint pain. Several studies have found that walking reduces arthritis-related pain, and that walking five to six miles a week can even prevent arthritis from forming in the first place.
Aug 10, 2022 · Learn how to walk for health and fitness with this beginner's guide. Find out how far, how fast, and how often to walk, and get tips on posture, technique, and intensity.
- Wendy Bumgardner
Apr 30, 2024 · Learn how walking can improve your heart health, reduce stress, lose weight, lower blood sugar and more. Get tips on how to start and maintain a walking routine from a cardiologist.
Learn how walking can benefit your physical and mental health, prevent diseases, and improve your mood. This report from Harvard Medical School provides tips, workouts, and examples of walking for weight loss and other goals.
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