You don't need any special equipment or training to get started walking, which makes it a great option for people who are looking for a way to improve their overall health. Just 30 minutes of walking each day can increase your cardiovascular fitness, strengthen your bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost your muscle power and endurance. Additionally, walking can help reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some types of cancer.
You don't have to be very active or exercise for a long time to improve your health. A 2007 study showed that even moderate exercise – about 75 minutes a week – can make a big difference for inactive women, compared to those who don't exercise at all.
You can walk anytime, anywhere with no equipment and at your own pace– making it a low-impact and convenient exercise. It's also a great form of physical activity for those who are overweight, elderly, or haven't exercised in a while, as it carries minimal risk.
There are plenty of ways to make walking more fun and social. You can join clubs, venues, or strategies to help you enjoy this healthy activity more.
Health benefits of walking
You carry your own body weight when you walk. Some of the benefits include:
- increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness
- reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
- improved management of conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes
- stronger bones and improved balance
- increased muscle strength and endurance
- reduced body fat.
Walking for 30 minutes a day
In order to receive the health benefits, aim to walk for a minimum of 30 minutes at a pace that is brisk but still allows you to carry on a conversation; however, you may be slightly out of breath. moderate activities, such as walking, come with little health risk, but if you have any sort of medical condition, it is advised that you check with your doctor before beginning any new physical activity or exercise program.
Building physical activity into your life
If you can't walk for 30 minutes at a time, do three 10-minute walks throughout the day and gradually build up to longer sessions. If you want to lose weight, you need to do physical activity for longer than 30 minutes each day. You can still do this by starting with smaller intervals of activity throughout the day and increasing them as your fitness improves.
If you want to lose weight, one of the best things you can do is incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Once you've lost the weight, this method is also effective for keeping the weight off.
Some suggestions to build walking into your daily routine include:
- Take the stairs instead of the lift (for at least part of the way).
- Get off public transport one stop earlier and walk to work or home.
- Walk (don’t drive) to the local shops.
- Walk the dog (or your neighbour’s dog).
Make walking part of your routine
If you want to make walking a regular habit, try to walk at the same time each day. It doesn't matter what time of day you walk, you'll use the same amount of energy. Do what's most convenient for you. You may find it helpful to ask a friend to walk with you. Some people find it helpful to keep a diary or log of their activities.
Wearing a pedometer while walking
A pedometer is a device that counts the number of steps you take. You can use it to track your daily activity and compare it to other days or to recommended levels. This may motivate you to move more. The recommended number of steps per day for health benefits is 10,000 steps or more.
A comfortable intensity for walking
For most people, the amount of energy used by walking and running a kilometer is relatively the same. The main difference is that walking takes longer to cover the same distance. Try setting a goal to walk a specific distance each day and see how long it takes you. As your fitness improves, you will be able to walk further and use more energy.
You can burn more kilojoules per hour by walking fast, but you don't have to push yourself to the point where you're out of breath. Instead, pace yourself so that you can still hold a conversation. This simple rule of thumb will help you stay within your target heart rate, which will result in health benefits.
Our bodies tend to get used to physical activity, so continue to increase your intensity as you are able to improve your fitness levels. You can increase the intensity of your walks by:
- walking up hills
- walking with hand weights
- increasing your walking speed gradually by including some quick walking
- increasing the distance you walk quickly before returning to a moderate walking pace
- walking for longer.
Warming up and cooling down after walking
To warm up, walk slowly at first, then pick up the pace. After your walk, stretch your leg muscles. Hold each stretch for about 20 seconds. If you feel any pain, ease off the stretch.
The ideal attire for physical activity is clothing that allows you to cool down gradually as your body temperature rises. Dressing in layers is one way to achieve this. Wearing too much clothing can cause you to sweat excessively and feel uncomfortable. It can also lead to skin irritations. Cooling down gradually after physical activity will prevent muscle stiffness and injury.
Footwear for walking
While walking is a great and cheap way to exercise, the wrong type of shoe or walking technique can lead to foot or shin pain, blisters, and injuries to soft tissue. Be sure your shoes are comfortable and support your heel and arch. Take light steps and be sure your heel hits the ground before your toes when possible. Also, try to walk on grass rather than concrete to help with impact.
Making walking a pleasure
Some suggestions to help make regular walking a pleasurable form of physical activity include:
- varying where you walk
- walking the dog
- walking with friends
- joining a walking club.
Making walking interesting
Ways to keep your daily walk interesting include:
- If you want to stick close to home and limit your walking to neighbourhood streets, pick different routes so you don’t get tired of seeing the same sights.
- If you feel unsafe walking alone, find one or more friends or family members to walk with.
- Walk at various times of the day. The sights to see first thing in the morning are bound to be different from those of the afternoon or early evening.
- Drive to different reserves, park the car and enjoy the views while you walk.
- Explore what’s going on around you, notice the sky, the people, the sounds.
Dog walking
If you regularly walk a dog, it provides motivation to keep up the activity every day. You might also appreciate the companionship. If you cannot have a dog of your own, consider asking if you can walk a neighbor's dog occasionally.
Suggestions for the safety of your dog and other people on foot include:
- Be considerate of other pedestrians and always keep your dog on its leash.
- If you plan to walk in a park, check first to see if dogs are permitted. Many national and state parks and other conservation reserves do not permit dogs.
- Other parks generally permit dog-walking on a leash. Many parks allow dogs off the leash – check with your local council.
- Always take equipment such as plastic bags and gloves to clean up after your dog.
Walking with others
Walking with other people can turn a bout of exercise into an enjoyable social occasion. Suggestions include:
- Schedule a regular family walk – this is a great way to pass on healthy habits to your children or grandchildren, and to spend time together, while getting fit at the same time.
- If you are walking with children, make sure the route and length of time spent walking are appropriate to their age.
- Babies and toddlers enjoy long walks in the pram. Take the opportunity to point out items of interest to young ones, such as vehicles, flowers and other pedestrians.
- Look for the self-guided nature walks that have been set up in many parks. Younger children enjoy looking for the next numbered post; older ones can learn about the plants and animals of the park, and perhaps take photos or record their experience in other ways.
- Ask neighbours or friends if they would like to join you on your walks. Think of starting a walking group.
Health Benefits Of Walking
1. Aids Weight Loss
If you want to burn calories and lose weight, one of the best things you can do is go for a walk. Walking is an easy and convenient way to get some exercise, and it’s also very effective in terms of burning calories and helping you shed some extra pounds.
More than 50% of obese patients who walked together to their destinations in and around the city as part of an experiment at the University of Alabama lost an average of 5 pounds after eight weeks, researchers found.
2. Improves Heart Health
A study of adult women in rural New York showed that those who walked more had better cardiovascular health, as measured by various biomarkers.
Many studies have shown that walking can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular events by up to 31%. According to the American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, every adult should get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (like brisk walking) five days a week.
3. Regulates Blood Pressure
Walking can help lower your blood pressure by making your circulatory system work better.
83 participants walked 10,000 steps per day for 12 weeks as part of an experiment conducted by researchers at Wakayama Medical College, Japan. The participants showed a significant drop in blood pressure and increased stamina at the end of the 12 weeks.
4. Regulates Blood Glucose Levels
If you go on short walks regularly, it can help improve your fasting and post-meal blood glucose levels.
To help manage type 2 diabetes, scientists recommend taking no less than 5,000 steps a day, with more than 3,000 of those steps being a brisk walk.
5. Strengthens Bones And Eases Joint Movements
Walking regularly strengthens bones by improving lubrication between joints and muscles, as well as toning your muscles.
A study done with 27 people who had symptomatic knee osteoarthritis showed that walking for 30 minutes or more straight increased knee pain, while the same amount of walking done in multiple short bouts improved knee loading and eased pain.
6. Increases Lung Capacity
When you walk, you breathe in more oxygen, which helps increase your lung capacity and stamina.
Aerobic fitness may help to increase lung volume, according to a study published in The European Respiratory Journal.
7. Boosts Immune Functions
The adults were taught how to walk for 30 minutes a day at a pace of three miles per hour. In order to reduce the frequency of attacks and boost immunity, the sedentary adults from Duke University's School of Medicine were taught how to walk for 30 minutes a day at a pace of three miles per hour.
The participants were asked to walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes, thrice a week for 10 weeks. The study found that their immune function and infection risk improved at the end of the study.
8. Improves Gastrointestinal Function
Maintaining good food habits and drinking plenty of water are important for proper gastrointestinal function, but you can also help things along with a little moderate exercise like walking.
Studies have shown that low-intensity exercise can help to alleviate gastrointestinal disorders by improving gastrointestinal motility and blood flow in the gastrointestinal tract. However, there is limited evidence on its effect on specific conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and constipation (13).
9. Uplifts Mood
There have been several scientific studies which have shown that physical activity can help to prevent depression. Walking is highly recommended by physicians and psychiatrists as a way to help improve mood.
10. Reduces Stress
Walking can reduce stress by improving circulation, which provides nutrients and oxygen to the cells. It also stimulates the nervous system receptors and decreases the production of stress hormones.
