Walking is instrumental in keeping the 60,000 miles of blood vessels in your body healthy – and one of the best ways to improve or maintain your overall health. Just 30 minutes every day may lower your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Plus, walking can strengthen your bones and muscles, help you maintain a healthy weight and help lift your mood.
What are the benefits of walking?
Walking is a simple yet powerful tool for optimizing your vascular health and overall well-being. By incorporating regular walking into your daily routine and adopting strategies to increase your step count, you can reap the benefits for your heart, blood vessels, and mental health.
Regular brisk walking can help you:
- Maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat
- Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes
- Improve cardiovascular fitness
- Strengthen your bones and muscles
- Improve muscle endurance
- Increase energy levels
- Improve your mood, cognition, memory and sleep
- Improve your balance and coordination
- Strengthen immune system
- Reduce stress and tension
Walking and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
Walking is an excellent form of exercise, especially if you are one of the estimated eight to ten million Americans who are living with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). Studies show that participating in a structured PAD walking program helps reduce the aching or cramping patients have in their calves, buttocks, or thighs. Check with your physician first before starting a walking program or any new exercise regimen.
Getting started
Ready to lace up your shoes, step outside, and embark on a journey towards better vascular health?
Adults should aim to get 150 minutes or more of moderate intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, per week. If 150 minutes sounds overwhelming, keep in mind that you can divide it into a schedule that fits your lifestyle. Whether it's a few 10-minute walks throughout the day or longer strolls when you have the time, it all counts.
Another popular way to measure progress is by counting your steps. Whether you achieve your step goal in one outing or throughout the day the effects are the same. While the goal of 10,000 steps per day has been widely promoted, a recent study found those who took at least 7,000 steps each day were 50%-70% less likely to die than those who walked fewer.
A brisk 30-minute walk is about 3,000 steps. And your risk of disease and premature death keeps dropping the more steps you take, up to about 10,000 steps a day!
Your pace is key — to get the maximum benefit, walk a little faster than you normally do. Your breathing and heart rate should increase, but you should be able to talk comfortably. If your walking pace isn't speedy enough to qualify as moderate-intensity exercise, those steps still help prevent the problems that can occur from sitting too much during the day. Adding any regular activity to your routine is beneficial.
Simple Ways to Boost Your Step Count
Not sure where to begin? No problem! Just get started. It’s not all or nothing; it’s step by step. Even if you’re already active, here are some easy ways you can add more steps to your day:
- Take your dog out for a walk. If you don't have a dog, consider volunteering to walk dogs at an animal shelter.
- Park a bit farther from the entrance to your workplace, school, grocery store, restaurants and other places you visit.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator, even if just for one or two floors.
- Catch up with a friend by walking around the block while you chat on the phone.
- Recruit friends or coworkers for a daily walk or start a walking club.
- Set a timer to remind you to get up and move several times throughout the day.
- Wear a pedometer or use a smartphone or smartwatch to keep track of steps and set goals.
Works Cited
- Bethany Lee-Lehner, R. M. (2022, December). Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Walking Program. Retrieved from University of Michigan Health: https://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/CVC/Vascular/PADWalkingProgram.pdf
- Branon, L. (2023, March 22). How can walking help with Peripheral Artery Disease? Retrieved from Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons: https://ctvstexas.com/how-can-walking-help-with-peripheral-artery-disease/
- Kaiser Permanente. (2023, March 15). Step up your walking routine to reap the most benefits. Retrieved from Kaiser Permanente: https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/healtharticle.benefits-of-walking#:~:text=And%20pace%20is%20key%20—%20walk,schedule%20that%20works%20for%20you.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d.). Healthy Lifestyle Fitness. Retrieved from Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER): https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261
- National Institutes of Health. (2016, March). NIH News in Health. Retrieved from NIH: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/03/benefits-walking
- Williamson, L. (2022, April 6). Walking your way to better health? Remember the acronym FIT. Retrieved from American Heart Association News: https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/04/06/walking-your-way-to-better-health-remember-the-acronym-fit
- Wohlrab, M. K.-O. (2022, December 29). The value of walking: a systematic review on mobility and healthcare costs. European review of aging and physical activity. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, p. 19:31. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-022-00310-3