Is Walking a Good Enough Form of Exercise?

If you think sprinting, spinning, strength training and other forms of high-intensity workouts are the only “real” forms of exercise, we have some news that might help you breathe easier. “Walking is very effective at beginning to build a baseline cardiovascular fitness level, and is a great form of exercise—especially for those who have not previously been active or those who are interested in starting a running routine,” says Austin Johnson, a Texas-based NCSF certified personal trainer. “For those two types of exercisers, it’s important to start their routines at easier intensities to prevent injuries, and walking is the perfect way to do that!”

We’re not talking about a slow, meandering stroll, though. (Although that can be a marvelous version of meditation if that’s the goal!) Lace up those walking shoes, then read on to discover how to step right up and make your next walk a workout.

Why Walking Is Such a Great Form of Exercise 

There are several reasons why walking can be a great form of physical activity. Here are a few of the specific health benefits of walking.

Improves Blood Sugar 

A short jaunt around the block after you eat could help keep your blood sugar steady, especially if you have type 2 diabetes. Data shows that a 30-minute walk after eating can help manage blood sugar levels and could be a simple way to improve health in everyday life. “Walking uses large muscles in your legs and torso-which require a lot of energy,” explains Andrew ­Reynolds, Ph.D. “To get that energy, those muscles remove sugar from circulation and your blood sugar goes down.” He adds that after-meal walks may also help prevent diabetes in the first place. (Get more lifestyle and diet tips to help lower blood sugar with 12 ways to lower blood sugar.)

Helps Your Heart 

You don’t need extremely-hard cardio to strengthen your heart. Getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking, each week is the benchmark for heart benefits.

Data shows that walking more each day can significantly reduce the risk of dying from any cause or from cardiovascular diseases. One analysis shows that taking at least 3,867 steps per day lowers the overall risk of death, while just 2,337 steps per day can specifically reduce the risk of cardiovascular-related deaths. Plus, the more steps you take beyond these numbers, the greater the benefits for your health.

Reduces Dementia Risk 

Walking is a simple yet powerful activity that can benefit the brain, especially for older adults who are physically capable and free from dementia. Research suggests that walking, particularly at a brisk pace and starting in middle age, is linked to better memory performance over time. This is especially true for episodic memory, which helps us recall specific events and experiences and is often affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This could be because walking helps improve blood flow which can help improve cognition, but more research is needed to explain walking’s impressive brain-healthy benefits. Walking is an easy way to add more aerobic exercise to your day, which can help strengthen your body and mind in the long run.

Promotes Weight Loss 

While it can sometimes get overlooked, walking is a great way to get more exercise and can help you lose weight. Finding ways to up your physical activity is key when trying to lose weight (along with what’s on your plate, of course). Check out our walking plan for weight loss—no equipment required!

Brisk walking at a rate of 4 to 5 miles per hour (a pace that’s been scientifically proven to help you live longer, BTW) can burn just about as many calories per mile as running at a slow speed, Walker adds. And since it involves less pounding, your body is less prone to injuries so you may be able to stick to your healthy habit longer and stronger. But since runners cover more distance in the same amount of time, and running is more demanding on the cardiovascular system—meaning it spikes your heart rate more, you burn more calories if we’re comparing minute by minute.

For example, a 160-pound person walking at 3½ miles per hour for 1 hour will burn about 302 calories. The same individual running at 6 miles per hour for 20 minutes will burn about 356 calories; less than half the time, about the same distance, but a few more calories. So yes, walking absolutely counts as “exercise” and can even be all you do to hit your recommended workout level per week. 

Boosts Mood 

Regular exercise like walking can help to boost your mood—immediately and in the long term. People who walk regularly tend to feel better emotionally compared to those who didn’t. Interestingly, how often people walk each week matter more for emotional health than how long their walks last.

Plus, getting outside for a walk can help you spend more time in nature, which has proven benefits for your mental health and can help you reduce stress.

Reduced Risk of Early Death

For overall longevity, each 1,000-step increase in daily walking steps—up to 4,500 steps per day—is correlated to a 28% lower risk for early death, per data presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Conference. (Reminder: 10,000 steps per day is a common goal if walking is your main form of activity, but working your way up over time can be an effective strategy as well.)

How Much to Walk Each Day 

The World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American College of Sports Medicine all recommend that adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate- intensity exercise per week for health, and 300 minutes per week for weight loss. “Moderate-intensity walking would be a brisk pace, which for most individuals who have no underlying injuries or disease would probably fall between 3 to 4 miles per hour. This would equate to a 15- to 20-minute-per-mile walking pace,” Johnson says.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that if you don’t want to track your pace, simply try the talk test. Moderate-intensity exercise should have you breathing heavily enough that you can talk, but not sing. If 150 minutes sounds like a lot, keep in mind that “you don’t have to jump feet-first into the 150-minute goal. Start where you are and gradually increase your activity week by week,” says Steve Stonehouse, NASM-CPT. “The 150 minutes per week can be divided in many different ways. Some people aim for 30 minutes of walking 5 days a week. Others fit in 10 minutes of walking several times a day.”

If you’re new to walking, the most important thing to remember is that it’s not all or nothing, Johnson advises. Ease into it. “As easy as walking sounds, you can certainly overdo it [depending on how] sedentary you were before starting. Starting off with two or three days a week and building up to five days a week over a month-long period is great! Once you become a seasoned walker, if you are interested in moving into jogging, take the same approach of gradually increasing,” Johnson says.

How to Step Up Your Walking Workout 

So with that in mind, here’s how to get started, how to step things up and how to eventually progress from walking to running (if that’s your goal).

• Step 1: Walk at a steady, comfortable pace for 10 minutes at a time, working up to being able to walk for 30 minutes straight per day at your desired pace. 
• Step 2: Walk for 30 minutes per day at a moderate to brisk pace that allows you to talk but not sing. 
• Step 3: Mix up the terrain. Walking on steep ground causes the heart rate to constantly increase—and, as a result, the metabolic rate and calorie burn increase as well. This also challenges the lower body muscles to act as a resistance-training workout of sorts, Walker adds. “When walking rocky or angled slopes, different muscle groups (mainly core and lower body) are activated to complete these movements. The supporting muscles assist each other, improving our strength and mobility, and make lower body movements easier to perform in everyday life,” Walker says. So adjust the treadmill or find a hiking trail or some hills in your neighborhood. 
• Step 4: Take the stairs. Find a park, stadium or gym staircase that has several flights of stairs. Try to climb them every 10 minutes during your 30-minute walking workout, then progress to climbing them every 5 minutes for 6 total rounds. “This will increase the level of leg strength you build through walking,” Johnson says, and also raise your heart rate to increase your calorie burn. 
• Step 5: Try intervals. Pick up the pace for 1 minute, then recover at a moderate walking pace for 4 minutes. Repeat this for 6 rounds to complete your walking workout for the day, Stonehouse suggests. Once that gets easy, try walking fast for 2 minutes, then recover at a moderate pace for 3 minutes; repeating 6 times. Scale up to 6 sets of 3 minutes fast, 2 minutes moderate, then to 6 sets of 4 minutes fast, 1 minute moderate, and finally, to a fast walk for all 30 minutes. 
• Step 6: Pick up the pace. If you’d like to try jogging, follow the same minute-by-minute breakdown in Step 5, just with jogging for the faster interval. Recover at a moderate to brisk walking pace. 

The Bottom Line 

Walking can be a legit workout and can spark a seriously healthy habit, whether you stick with walking or speed things up. If you want to challenge your upper body, too, consider nordic walking. Science proves that walking with poles activates 90% of your body’s muscle groups. Before you start or step up your walking routine, study up on mistakes you’re making when walking and how to fix them to stay safe and injury free so you can comfortably lace up again tomorrow.