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Walking for Exercise—the Health Benefits of Stepping Out

Young Ju, Ph.D.

Young Ju, Ph.D.

Walking can contribute to your overall health without requiring special skills, gear, or memberships. The average US adult takes 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day (1). Only about 27% of US adults get more than 10,000 steps per day (46.6% of men and 28.2% of women) (2).  

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (3) recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (such as brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity (hiking, jogging, or running) each week for adults to maintain overall health and decrease the risk of chronic disease. Walking intensities can be defined as light (55-64% of maximum heart rate–mhr–or less than 80 steps/min), moderate (65-74% of mhr or about 100 steps/min), and vigorous (75-90% mhr or more than 120 steps/min).

Health Benefits of Walking

Research has shown that walking can provide health benefits with physical, mental, and social aspects as evidenced in several recent review articles and a few clinical trials discussed here.

Chronic Diseases: Walking is associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cancer (4,5). These review studies found that step count and walking speed are strong and consistent predictors of clinical outcomes, and taking 8,000 –10,000 steps per day above 4 km (2.49 miles)/h could reduce the risk of many age-related diseases. 

Ungvari et al.(4) also found that walking-based exercise interventions showed their effectiveness in various settings. Workplace walking interventions were associated with improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, increased organizational commitment, improved job motivation, and lowered healthcare costs. Clinical walking interventions improved functional status (physical capacity to perform daily activity), reduced falls, and enhanced quality of life in individuals with chronic conditions.

Bones and Joints: Walking is associated with lower joint pain and risk of knee replacement and joint replacement in knee osteoarthritis patients. Walking can help improve fluid circulation in the joints, increase the supply of nutrients to cartilage and synovial fluid, and enhance the self-repair function. Walking can also help increase muscle strength and physical function and reduce joint stress and damage (6). Body weight (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) is one of the main factors affecting joint load in this population. Moderate-intensity walking reduced BMI and vascular inflammatory markers in obese postmenopausal women (7).

Mortality: A long-term follow-up study (> 10 years) found that a higher daily step count is associated with longer life in adults; approximately 7000 steps per day are associated with a lower mortality rate (by 50-70%) in middle-aged adults. No association between walking intensity and mortality rate was found (8).

Cognitive Function:  Moderate-intensity walking interventions (9) showed improved:

  • cognitive function, such as processing speed (the ability to identify, integrate, and make a decision about information)

  • spatial working memory (the ability to keep spatial information active in working memory over a short period of time)

  • perceived cognitive function (the ability to interpret surroundings using stimuli from sensory organs). 

Sleep Quality:  Light-intensity walking characterized by a 10-min warm up, 30-min walking at treadmill speed 2.5-3.5 km/h, and a 10-min cool down improved sleep quality in bladder cancer patients with sleep disorders (10).

Depression:  Moderate (150-300 min/day) and vigorous (75-150 min/day) walking reduced the severity of depression in middle-aged and older adults (11).

Walking Guide (12)    

Here are some suggestions for making walking a part of your healthy lifestyle.

  1. Set goals and establish a routine.

  2. Keep track of your progress and have a backup plan when your schedule is disrupted..

  3. Increase time and pick up the pace: Commit yourself to walk longer.

  4. Find a walking partner(s).

“Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities” is available to support and increase walking in order to improve the health and health care of Americans  (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/call-to-action-walking-and-walkable-communites.pdf)

Walking Tips

●       Wear comfortable shoes and clothing, wear reflective gear during night-time walks, and use proper UV protection on a sunny day with a high UV index.

●       Stay hydrated.

●       Walk tall and look ahead.

●       Walk facing traffic (if there is no sidewalk).

●       Be aware of your surroundings and stay alert at all times.

●       Warm up and cool down: Start and end your walking session gently and stretch.

●       Carry your ID with emergency contact information and a cell phone with you when you walk alone.

Adverse Effects and Contraindications

Although walking can be tailored to any fitness level, vigorous-intensity walking may trigger heart problems including irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, heart attack, and stroke, etc. for some.  For example, people with heart problems should avoid early morning walks, especially in winter. If you experience discomfort, chest or other pain, or breathlessness, stop walking and seek medical help.

It’s important to note that the benefits of walking outweigh any potential adverse effects in most people.

Conclusion

Overall, walking is a simple and effective intervention that can be easily integrated into daily routines to promote healthy aging and prevent chronic age-related diseases. Fewer than 10,000 steps per day can still have health benefits. Initially, you should forget about speed or pace and just get out there and walk. Then you can gradually step up the pace and take advantage of the many health benefits that walking for exercise can provide.

References

  1. Mayo Clinic. 10,000 steps by a day: Too low? Too high? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/10000-steps/art-20317391#:~:text=The%20average%20American%20walks%203%2C000,a%20day%20every%20two%20weeks.

  2. Center for Disease Control and Prevention  https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity/php/data/index.html

  3. Department of Health & Human Services https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf

  4. Ungvari et al. The multifaceted benefits of walking for healthy aging: from Blue Zones to molecular mechanisms. GeroScience 2023, 45:3211.

  5. Jayedi et al. Walking speed and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2024, 58(6):334

  6. Xu et al. Does walking have an association with osteoarthritis? A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis. Clin Interv Aging 2024, 19:153.

  7. Son et al. Moderate intensity walking exercises reduce the body mass index and vascular inflammatory factors in postmenopausal women with obesity: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2023, 13(1):20172.

  8. Paluch et al. Steps per day and all-cause mortality in middle-aged adults in the coronary artery risk development in young adults study. JAMA Netw Open 2021, 4(9):e2124516

  9. Yang et al. The effect of walking intervention on cognitive function among patients with non-central nervous system cancer: A systematic review. Cancer Nurs 2023, 46(5):375.

  10. Wang et al. Effect of a single light-intensity walking session on sleep quality of patients with bladder cancer: A randomized cross-over study. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2024, 40(1):151571.

  11. Yu et al. Comparison of moderate and vigorous walking exercise on reducing depression in middle-aged and older adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023, 23(6):1018.

  12. CDC. Walking Pocket Guide. https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/join/pdf/walking-pocket-guide.pdf

This information is provided for your reference and you use at your own risk; you should rely on your medical professional for medical advice.