4 Reasons Walking Is Good for Your Health (KM Creator)

The brain, muscles, bones, lungs, and other body parts benefit from walking.

Walking is beneficial to your health

According to sports medicine physician James N. Robinson, MD, who practices at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, "walking affects multiple systems in the body, so it offers a lot of great benefits."

Walking is considered a moderately intense aerobic activity, even though it has little impact. If you walk at a pace at which you can still talk but it would be hard to sing, it will work your heart.

Dr. Robinson advises people to walk at a pace that raises their heart rate slightly. You should be somewhat out of breath, but not completely; utilize the previously mentioned "talk test."That is a useful indicator that your walking will enhance your cardiovascular fitness, "he states.

According to Robinson, you should aim for 150 minutes of this kind of walking per week, spread out over multiple days (not all at once). This is in line with the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PDF) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five days per week for adults (or approximately 30 minutes).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises breaking it up into even smaller portions throughout the day. Take three 10-minute walks, for instance, throughout the day.

According to Robinson, walking strengthens the muscles in your legs and core, which are responsible for keeping you upright as you step, in addition to being an aerobic activity.

Even though walking is a great full-body workout, rest days are still important. To cut down on the chance of getting hurt, he says to do intense walking workouts no more than five days per week. However, rest days do not necessitate complete sedentary behavior. Since getting enough steps in every day is good for your health, it's fine to walk lightly or moderately every day. (More on this later.)

1. Your life may be extended by walking

 You can walk well into your golden years. According to research that was published in JAMA Network Open in 2021, a study that included more than 2,000 adults found that those who walked at least 7,000 steps per day had a 50 to 70 percent lower risk of dying from any cause by the end of the 11-year study period in comparison to those who walked fewer steps. The researchers controlled for a number of behavioral and lifestyle factors, such as age, smoking history, body weight, alcohol consumption, diet, and health markers like cholesterol levels, fasting glucose levels, blood pressure, and the use of some medications, among others.

Amanda Paluch, Ph.D., a physical activity epidemiologist, and kinesiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who is the study's author and a physical activity epidemiologist and kinesiologist.

She adds that walking is a great way to get in that exercise. Walking more can aid in the prevention of numerous chronic conditions that cause premature death. Walking, for example, is a form of physical activity that can be accomplished with no single drug.

2. Bone health can be improved by walking.

According to Robinson, walking can improve bone strength because it is a weight-bearing activity (meaning that you perform it upright with your bones supporting your weight), so it may help maintain bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. He adds that walking also strengthens the core and improves stability and balance, which can help prevent falls as you get older.)

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says that walking can strengthen bones in your spine and legs, especially if you start with a 10-minute fast walk three times a day.

Robinson suggests combining a strength-training program with walking to reap the greatest benefits for your bones.

3. Walking Improves Your Mood

Take a walk when you're feeling down. Walking lifts your mood. Do you remember the hashtag #stupidwalkchallenge?It works, and it doesn't need to be a long walk at all. In a 2018 study that was published in Health Promotion Perspectives, young adults who participated in a 10-minute bout of brisk walking saw their mood rise, especially when it came to fatigue when compared to a control group that was instructed to simply sit.

You can shake off feelings of low energy, which can make you feel down overall, by getting up and moving.In previous research that was published in 2017 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings by the same authors, it was found that even walking for five minutes could help improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression.

4. Walking helps people lose weight.

Know that you don't have to participate in a rigorous exercise program if you want to lose weight (unless, of course, that's the kind of workout you prefer).

According to a 2017 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, adults whose weights were considered overweight or obese lost more fat and had lower fasting insulin levels when they followed a diet low in calories and walked 2.5 hours per week for 12 weeks. Additionally, both groups lost approximately 8% of their body weight or the same amount of weight. However, those who added walking to a calorie-controlled diet lost more fat, which is the type of weight you want to lose rather than muscle mass.)