(AP) – Medical experts agree that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. While it’s not the only sort of exercise people should do, it’s a great first step toward a healthy life.
“You don’t need equipment and you don’t need a gym membership,” said Dr. Sarah Eby, a sports medicine physician. “And the benefits are so vast.”
What can walking do for you?
Walking can help meet the US surgeon general’s recommendation that adults get at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity physical activity every week. This helps lower the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia, depression and many types of cancer.
Walking also improves blood sugar levels, is good for bone health and can help you lose weight and sleep better, added Julie Schmied, a nurse practitioner.
Another advantage? It’s a low-impact exercise that puts less pressure on joints as it strengthens your heart and lungs.
James Blankenship, 68, said joining a walking club last year helped him bounce back after a heart attack and triple bypass in 2022.
“My cardiologist says I’m doing great,” he said.
For all its benefits, however, walking “is not enough for overall health and well-being” because it doesn’t provide resistance training that builds muscle strength and endurance, said Anita Gust, who teaches exercise science.
That’s especially important for women’s bone health as they age.
Experts recommend adding such activities at least twice weekly – using weights, gym equipment or your own body as resistance — and doing exercises that improve flexibility like yoga or stretching.
Do you really need 10,000 steps a day?
Nearly everyone has heard about this walking goal, which dates back to a 1960s marketing campaign in Japan. But experts stress that it’s just a guideline.
The average American walks about 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day and it’s fine to gradually work up to 10,000, Shmied said.
Setting a time goal can also be useful. Shmied suggests breaking the recommended 150 minutes per week into 30 minutes a day, or 10 minutes three times a day, for five days. During inclement weather, people can walk in malls or on treadmills.
As they become seasoned walkers, they can speed up the pace or challenge themselves with hills while still keeping the activity level moderate.
“If you can talk but not sing,” Eby said, “that’s what we consider moderate-intensity exercise.”
How do you stay motivated?
Walking with friends – including pets– is one way.
Walking clubs have popped up across the US. In 2022, New York personal trainer Brianna Joye Kohn, 31, started City Girls Who Walk with a TikTok post inviting others to walk with her.
“We had 250 girls show up,” she said.
Since then, the group has walked every Sunday for around 40 minutes, with some meeting afterward for brunch or coffee.
