7 Benefits of Walking

There are many benefits to walking. Here are seven to inspire you to make walking your new hobby!

Walking Gives You a Brain Boost

Going for a brisk walk right before you need to work on an important project improves your attention, memory, crystalized intelligence, and processing speed.

Walking Reduces Your Risk of Cognitive Impairment

Improvements to the mental processes that help you set and carry out goals become more enduring with with an ongoing physical activity routine. Regular moderate-to-vigorous walking positively affects brain health and cognition.

Walking Reduces and Prevents Joint Pain

Walking compresses and releases joint cartilage and circulates the synovial fluid. This is important because cartilage does not have a direct blood supply, and it relies on the synovial fluid for nourishment and oxygen.

Walking also strengthens the muscles that support your knees and hips, protecting and reducing pressure on those joints.

Walking Helps You Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Nutrition is the most important component in changing or maintaining your weight. However, there are ways walking can help. Brisk walking can curb cravings. Walking an hour a day counteracts the effects of some weight-promoting genes. Walking, like all movement, does burn calories.

Walking Reduces Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Walking and other physical activity lowers your risk of Type 2 Diabetes. A higher volume of walking—either longer walks or walking more days—leads to even lower risk.

Walking Boosts Your Mood

Although not a cure for depression, walking has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms in both in people with depression and people without depression. A quick walk can relieve immediate feelings of anxiety, and regular walking and other physical activity can reduce trait anxiety.

Walking Expands Your World

There are so many places we drive by on a regular basis but don’t take the time to explore. I encourage you to stop in a local park and find out where that trail goes! Walking opens up so many more things to see and provides a way to make new friends.

References:

2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/PAG_Advisory_Committee_Report.pdf

Ledochowski, Larissa et al. “Acute effects of brisk walking on sugary snack cravings in overweight people, affect and responses to a manipulated stress situation and to a sugary snack cue: a crossover study.” PloS one vol. 10,3 e0119278. 11 Mar. 2015, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0119278 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25760042/

Qi, Qibin et al. “Television watching, leisure time physical activity, and the genetic predisposition in relation to body mass index in women and men.” Circulation vol. 126,15 (2012): 1821-7. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.098061 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3667660/

Robertson R, Robertson A, Jepson R, Maxwell M. Walking for depression or depressive symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ment Health Phys Act. 2012;5(1):66-75. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1755296612000099

Sofi F, Valecchi D, Bacci D, et al. Physical activity and risk of cognitive decline: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. J Intern Med. 2011;269(1):107-117. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2796.2010.02281.x. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20831630/

Note: For an easy-to-follow beginner walking plan, check out my Couch to 5K Walk plan.

Note: Join my 2024 Couch to 5K Walking Group. Starting July 29th, you will receive a custom walk journal, group walks, access to a private Facebook group, personal advice, and more. The program ends Saturday, September 28th with the 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer's in Des Moines, Iowa.