Does Walking Really Make You Fit and Healthy?
No doubt it does!
Science has shown that there are many benefits of walking to your overall health.
We present 10 science-backed benefits of walking for your health:
1. Improves Cardiovascular Health
Walking is an excellent cardio activity. It’s a proven fact!
Numerous
studies have confirmed that walking exerts a healthy demand on your cardiovascular system, regardless of your age or sex.
Especially when you walk briskly, your heart pumps faster. The increased heart rate improves circulation, sending blood at a faster rate to all your body tissues and organs.
As a result, you have boosted cardiovascular activity and a reduced risk of heart-related issues like high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.
Knowing this, you would understand why physicians incorporate walking as a core exercise in cardiac rehabilitation.
2. Good for Your Lungs
Walking exerts effort on your heart and lungs. That effort helps ventilate your lungs and strengthens your respiratory muscles, resulting in boosted overall lung and respiratory function as well as proper breathing.
These benefits of walking on respiratory health aren’t just for the healthy. They’ll also work for you if you have respiratory conditions like asthma and pulmonary hypertension.
3. Boosts Your Immune System
As an aerobic activity that enhances oxygen transportation and absorption, walking boosts your overall immunity. For example, studies have shown that walking in the cold season reduces the risk of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI).
One such
study found that the risk of URTI decreased by 43% in people who participated in aerobic activities for 5 or more days a week. And even if they got sick, the severity of the infection was lower by 32%-41%. This was not the case for those who had a sedentary lifestyle.
4. Increases your Energy Levels
Walking increases your oxygen uptake. When you do it regularly, it enhances your body’s ability to use up oxygen.
Maximum body oxygen uptake and utilization, also referred to as VO2 Max in physical activity, is a core indicator of cardiovascular fitness. A high VO2 Max means your body has greater efficiency in taking and using up oxygen. This increases your overall physical energy and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
5. Reduces the Risk of Death
Yes, you read that right!
Walking can prolong your life by reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cerebrovascular diseases like stroke, and age-related neurological conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It also improves sleep quality and mental well-being.
In fact, studies have shown that the daily walking routine of people in
Blue Zones is related to a longer life expectancy. Residents of these regions record lower rates of chronic diseases and live longer, a fact evidenced by the large number of centenarians in these regions.
6. Boosts Bone and Joint Health
Several studies have confirmed that walking reduces the frequency and severity of knee and joint pain in people with osteoarthritis. Some also suggest that it can prevent the condition altogether. This happens due to enhanced muscle lubrication and strengthening, and it applies to anyone, regardless of their age.
7. Regulates Blood Sugar
While factors like diet and genes are significant in diabetes, numerous studies have shown that walking has positive effects in regulating blood glucose.
So, if you walk after a meal, the effort from the exercise is excellent for glycemic control as it regulates blood sugar levels. Additionally, brisk walking has been found to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
8. Helps with Weight Management
Walking increases your body metabolism and burns calories, which is crucial for weight management and overall body fitness. This works miracles if you combine walking and a balanced diet.
What’s even better, some
experts have found that walking counters the genes responsible for weight gain in obese individuals. An hour of a brisk walk for health every day can cut the effect of weight-gain genes by half.
Studies also specify that you’ll need a higher daily step count if you have a higher genetic risk for obesity than someone with a moderate or lower risk. You’ll need to work with your physician for the details.
9. Reduces Breast Cancer Risk
Do you know that millions of women all over the globe are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and thousands of those die from the same? That’s according to the World Health Organization.
Also, age is a key factor in breast cancer risk, prevalent among women over 40.
The good news is that there’s scientific evidence that walking can reduce your risk of breast cancer.
A
study found that among postmenopausal women participants who walked 7 hours a week or more, the risk of breast cancer was reduced by 14%. The reduced risk was not recorded in women who walked for only 3 hours or less.
10 .Stress Management
Extensive research has shown that walking has benefits for mental health. It improves perceived stress and the individual’s overall feelings and mood.
A
study has also shown that you will record a higher reduction of stress by ‘green walking’ compared to ‘urban walking’.
And now that you know all these benefits of walking for health, you might be wondering if walking is better than working out at the gym.
How Fast Should I Walk to Burn Calories
It’s widely agreed that walking briskly is excellent for burning calories, which counts as moderate-intensity activity.
Regardless, research that we’ve already referenced confirms that walking at any intensity, low, moderate, or vigorous, has extensive benefits for your cardiovascular system and overall health.
Some studies also underline that a faster walking pace delivers the most benefits for your health.
However, you should be cautious when performing vigorous activity, as it can also act as a trigger for cardiovascular issues such as cardiac arrest and ischemic attacks. This is mostly true if you do not walk or exercise regularly.
Experts also suggest other factors that can interact with the intensity of walking to determine calorie burn and overall health benefits. These include:
● Frequency
● Duration
● Distance, and
● Personal characteristics.
1. Frequency
Experts generally agree that you must be consistent if you want to reap the health benefits of walking. National and global health agencies advise that you take regular walks at least 5 days a week.
Regardless, every step you take counts when it comes to walking and health.
In fact, a study we referenced earlier has shown that people who can’t set aside time for walking every day but take 8,000 or more steps, 1 to 2 days a week, significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular mortality.
2. Duration
Is the question, how much should I walk a day on your mind?
The US, UK, and WHO physical activity guidelines recommend a 30-minute brisk walk daily, 5 days a week. That should already meet the lower limit mark of the recommended 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.
3. Distance
When it comes to walking for exercise, distance is usually measured in the number of steps. So, you might ask, how many steps a day to stay healthy?
Experts recommend you aim for 8,000-10,000 steps daily. This range delivers the most benefits for cardiovascular risk and other conditions like diabetes, dementia, and early death.
You should note that walking for longer distances, beyond 10,000 steps in a day, can cause adverse effects.
A
study found that healthy people, with no osteoarthritis, who walked for over 10,000 steps daily, had a 52% higher risk of meniscal pathologies (related to the knee joint).
4. Personal Characteristics
Your personal characteristics, such as
body size and age, can impact how efficiently walking achieves its health benefits.
For example, a
study found that adults over 60 years of age needed 6,000-8,000 steps per day to decrease their risk of mortality, while those below 60 required 8,000-10,000 per day.
It would be a waste if you knew all the above benefits of walking for health without putting them to good use. So, a few tips to help you walk your way to better health are crucial.
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