13 Surprising Benefits of Walking
Medically reviewed by Raynetta Samuels PT, DPT, CLTMedically reviewed by Raynetta Samuels PT, DPT, CLT
Walking offers many physical and mental health benefits and can be done by people of all ages and fitness levels. Regular walking can help boost mood and energy levels, prevent certain diseases and conditions, burn calories, and even prolong your life.
Walking is easy to fit into your routine, can be done anywhere, and requires nothing more than a good pair of shoes.
This article discusses the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of walking and tips on how to get started and stay safe with a walking routine.
Charday Penn / Getty Images
Burns Calories
How many calories you burn from walking depends on how fast you walk, your body type, and even the surface you walk on.
The average number of calories burned walking for 30 minutes at 3.5 mph (equivalent to 17 minutes to complete one mile) is:
107 calories for a 125-pound person
133 calories for a 155-pound person
159 calories for a 185-pound person
Strengthens the Heart
Walking briskly helps strengthen the heart by increasing the heart rate and improving circulation, which can help lower blood pressure. Walking is an easy way to increase physical activity and is known to help prevent and manage heart disease for those with or at risk of heart disease.
Helps Lower High Cholesterol
Research shows that regular walking at moderate intensity can help lower high cholesterol. Walking reduces cholesterol just as much as running. The more distance walked, the greater the cholesterol-lowering benefits.
Helps Lower Blood Sugar
Light-intensity walking can improve blood sugar levels after eating a meal. Research has shown that taking a low-intensity walk, even for a few minutes, after eating can significantly improve blood sugar levels compared to standing or sitting after a meal.
Takeaway
Research shows that the faster your walking pace, the greater health benefits you'll get from walking.
Eases Joint Pain
Walking is one of the most important things you can do if you have joint pain or arthritis because it helps strengthen the bones and keeps joints flexible. Walking lubricates the joints, including knee and hip joints that are more prone to osteoarthritis, and strengthens the muscles that support them.
Walking can also help you lose weight or maintain it, which places less stress on your joints and can improve arthritis symptoms.
Boosts Immune Function
Physical activity boosts the immune system response during and after exercise. People who exercise regularly are known to get fewer viral infections and fewer severe symptoms when they do get sick.
One study found that people who walked five days a week for at least 20 minutes daily had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less. When regular walkers did get sick, their illnesses were shorter and their symptoms were milder than those who didn't walk regularly.
Boosts Energy Levels
When you walk, it releases oxygen throughout the body and increases levels of endorphins ("feel good" hormones), both of which help boost energy levels. Exercising, including walking, also increases the production of energy-creating mitochondria inside muscle cells.
Improves Mood
Spending 10 to 20 minutes walking in nature improves mental health, including decreasing stress and negative emotions and increasing positive emotions. Even a single 10-minute brisk walk is enough to improve overall mood and reduce fatigue.
Tones Legs
When you walk, you exercise several different muscles. The primary muscles used in walking are the:
Hip adductors
The gluteus, abdominal, and back muscles also help support your torso and move you forward when walking.
Helps You Think Creatively
A landmark study found that walking for five to 16 minutes boosts creative inspiration compared to sitting. Creative brainstorming increased whether walking was done indoors or outdoors, leading to the conclusion that the act of walking, not the environment, was the main reason for the boost in creative thinking.
Helps Tame a Sweet Tooth
Research shows that walking can reduce the urge to consume sugary snacks, even in people who eat them regularly. Studies have found a 15-minute brisk walk can reduce chocolate cravings in stressful situations when compared to resting instead of walking.
Helps Prevent Certain Diseases
Research has shown that in addition to lowering the risk of heart disease and osteoarthritis, regular walking reduces the risk of developing:
Dementia (other than Alzheimer's disease)
Takeaway
Women who walked more than one hour per day every week had an overall 23% lower long-term breast cancer risk than women who didn't engage in regular physical activity, with the greatest benefits occurring in menopausal and overweight women.
Extends Your Life
Brisk walking has a powerful association with extending life expectancy. Brisk walkers have been found to have up to 20 years greater life expectancy compared to slow walkers. A lifetime of brisk walking has also been shown to lead to changes in DNA equivalent to a 16-years-younger biological age by midlife.
Tips for Staying Safe While Walking
To reduce your risk of accidents, injuries, or falls and stay safe when walking, you should:
Walk during daylight or remain in well-lit areas, wearing reflective gear after dusk.
Be aware of your surroundings and stay away from isolated areas.
Walk with someone when possible.
Keep your phone with you, but don't text when walking.
Don't have your headphones turned up so high you can't hear what's around you.
Stay hydrated and bring water with you on your walks.
How to Get Started
If you've never done a walking routine before, it's essential to start slowly and remember that some walking is better than no walking. Trying to do too much too soon can lead to injuries.
To remember the components of a good walking program, experts recommend thinking about "frequency, intensity, and time," also known as the FIT formula. The FIT formula includes:
Frequency: Try to walk every day. If that's too much, try to walk at least three to five days a week.
Intensity: Though you want to aim for moderate-intensity walking of about 2 to 3 mph to get the most benefits, you don't need to go at that pace right away. Instead, build up to that pace slowly. A good way to gauge how fast you are walking is by how easy it is to carry on a conversation; the faster you walk, the more difficult it is to talk.
Time: Though the goal is to walk 30 minutes to an hour every day, you don't need to do that right away. Walk as much as you can, even if it's only five minutes, and gradually increase your walking time. You don't need to do all your walking at once, either. It's fine to break up your walks into shorter increments each day.
Summary
Going for regular walks can offer your body and mind numerous benefits. Walking is an effective form of exercise that doesn't require a big investment or a lot of time but will pay off by improving your health and mental and emotional states. If you're beginning a walking program, start slowly and build up gradually over time to avoid injury and reap the benefits of walking.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
