There’s a common misconception that walking is not an intense enough form of exercise, but walking has well-documented physical and mental health benefits.
If you’re wondering if walking is good exercise, most personal trainers will tell you an enthusiastic “yes!”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 150 to 300 minutes a week, so 30 minutes of brisk walking for five days a week gets you into the low end of that range.
“Walking is an ideal option in terms of physical activity. It requires no specialized skill — everyone knows how to walk. It’s low impact and safe,” Dr. Cedric Bryant, president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, tells TODAY.com.
Walking just 30 minutes a day decreases the risk of severe cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancer, studies have found.
And research tends to show that that the faster the pace, the greater the benefits — but walking at any pace on a regular basis can also help to reduce stress and body fat.
Physical benefits of walking
“Many of the systems of the body can benefit from walking,” Bryant says.
Walking regularly can improve cardiovascular health, aerobic capacity, blood pressure, blood sugar control, metabolism, weight and mobility. But recently, researchers have been discovering more and more ways that it can benefit your health.
For example:
- Walking just 10 minutes a day can improve your mood, studies show.
- Daily walking can increase metabolism in women 35-50 years old.
- A daily walk can improve sleep quality and length of sleep, another recent study found.
- Researchers found walking just an hour a week can help adults with joint pain improve their range of motion and mobility.
- Premenopausal women can improve bone density by taking a brisk walk for 30 minutes three days a week.
- A new study found that people who went on a 30-minute walk five times a week (and also received behavioral coaching) had fewer reoccurrences of back pain, took less time off from work and had fewer medical visits.
Mental benefits of walking
Walking can help improve your psychological and mental health, especially if you walk outdoors.
“Walking outside, being in nature, and getting out of the same place allows you to decompress, understand what’s been going on and refocus,” Dr. Mark A. Slabaugh, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, tells TODAY.com. “In my experience, it helps you to be able to almost meditate, to get in touch with your thoughts, to understand what’s important and to relax.”
Bryant is also a fan of getting outdoors for your walk: “There are so many wonderful benefits in terms of being able to have that positive distraction, a change in scenery, and getting sunlight and fresh air,” he says.
Taking a family member or friend along gives you a dose of socializing, which is also good for your mental health.
A walk can also help clear your mind and enhance your creativity. “I use walking on a personal level when I’m writing an article or editing a book — when I get stuck, I go out and walk,” Bryant says.
How to make walking a habit
Once you start your walking consistently, you’ll probably find that you like it so much you’ll increase the frequency. Here are some easy ways to get started and keep it up:
Start small. At first, it may just be a short walk around the block. “It starts to spiral upwards. If you’re walking for five minutes you might increase it to 10,” Slabaugh says. “That good upward trend helps you in many different ways.”
Take note of non-scale victories: Take time to appreciate the positive changes that come from committing to a walking routine, however small. “You’ll be more motivated, have better mental health, make better food decisions, and make positive choices that maintain your walking habit,” Slabaugh says.
Keep it interesting. Change up your route and explore new areas, invite a friend along or find a podcast or music playlist to get lost in. Mixing up your walks by adding intervals or upper-body moves can also keep it fun and engaging. And when it’s too hot or rainy to walk outdoors, try an indoor walking routine!
How to make your walking workout more intense
Here are five ways to supercharge your walking routine:
Walk for at least 30 minutes a day. If walking is your main source of exercise, set a goal of logging at least 30 minutes a day. If weight loss is your goal, aim for longer walks of 45-60 minutes when you can. That doesn’t have to be all at once, though. A 30-minute morning walk and a 20-minute walk after dinner would count. Some people also find that setting a step goal — like 10,000 steps a day — helps motivate them.
Choose a time or step goal that is attainable for you. If you need to start with just 10 minutes or 5,000 steps a day and build up, that is better than nothing, The first step is ensuring that you can be consistent with your walking; once you make it a daily habit, then work on increasing the duration.
Pick up the pace. Walking briskly helps improve cardiovascular fitness and burns more calories. If you struggle to walk briskly for 30 minutes straight, try adding intervals into your walk. Walk for one minute or one block at a regular pace, and then speed walk for the next minute or block. Be sure to adjust your routine so that you continue to make progress.
If your walk starts to feel easier, that is a sign that it’s time to pick up the pace or adjust your intervals. For example, walk two to three minutes at a brisk pace and then recover for one minute.
Add in some hills. We all get stuck in the rut of taking that same route around the neighborhood. Switching things up keeps your body guessing and introduces new challenges, which will help you see results faster. Walking on an incline will engage your leg muscles more than walking on level ground, so a path with some hills will make for a more intense workout for your glutes, hamstrings and quads, while also increasing your heart rate.
Walk with hand or ankle weights. If you’d like to see more progress with building muscle and toning, try adding weights. With ankle weights, you are making your body work harder to perform the same walking movement. If you want to work your arms, try walking with light dumbbells or body-weight arm exercises.
Increase your distance over time. With any form of exercise, knowing when to increase the intensity is essential in making progress. After consistently walking the same distance for a few weeks, try gradually increasing how far you go.
Try these walking workouts:
University of Pittsburgh doctors have some tips for planning your outdoor workouts and staying safe during the hottest parts of summer.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
