These are questions health professionals are often asked: Is walking good exercise? Is walking a good workout to do daily? How much do I need to walk for it to be a good workout? 

The short answer is “yes!" Walking is a form of exercise, but this response does come with caveats. 

Not all walking is “exercise”

If you are a sedentary person, any bit of walking is better than none at all. Even short or slow walks provide some health benefits. While leisurely walking, like walking the dog, isn’t as intense as other forms of physical activity like running or weightlifting, the short answer to “is walking a good workout?” is that it can contribute to an active lifestyle. 

If walking is good for you, then is walking good exercise? 

Walking for exercise should be at a brisk pace – which means, if you were talking with a friend you would start to get slightly out of breath. Heart rate can vary from person to person, but you should aim for 100-120 beats per minute while walking, or 50-70 percent of maximum heart rate, for walking to be considered moderate-intensity and good exercise. This faster pace provides the most cardiovascular benefits.

Is walking cardiovascular exercise?

Yes! Walking activates several large muscle groups: knee extensors, including the quadriceps, hip extensors like hamstrings and gluteal muscles, muscles in the lower legs, like the gastrocnemius and soleus, the anterior tibialis, and the arch muscles in the feet. Working your muscles improves blood circulation, because the muscles will pump blood back to the heart. If you struggle with leg swelling before, during, or after a walk, then consider compression socks while walking. 

Is walking good for you? 

Yes! Walking is an inexpensive and easy-on-the-joints exercise, and it’s a way to socially engage with others. The benefits of walking can be whole-body, too. Daily walking at a brisk pace can:

How is walking a good workout? Is walking cardio? Is walking aerobic? 

Yes and yes! Walking for 30 minutes daily can burn up to 200 calories, and it is still worthwhile even if it needs to be spread throughout the day. Add walking to a basic strength training plan, and over time, the benefits will multiply.

Research shows that 30 minutes a day, five days a week, of moderately intense exercise is associated with a 19-percent risk reduction for coronary artery disease.2 The CDC recommends most adults should aim for 10,000 steps a day, which is roughly five miles. If you can’t achieve 10,000 steps daily, then don’t be discouraged! Do what you can – any number of steps is better than zero.4 

How is walking good exercise? How can I make walking more effective?

You can try these variations to make your walking more challenging, variable, and worthwhile: 

  • Add weights. Be careful to not go too heavy as hand or wrist weights can strain the arms or create bad posture. Ankle weights might affect the legs or hips. Look for a weighted vest that distributes weight around the body and core more evenly. Keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed and engage or tighten your core muscles. Swinging your arms helps burn more calories and promotes full-body movement. 
  • Take routes with hills or stairs or push up the incline on the treadmill. It changes which muscles are being activated and helps add lower-body strength. 
  • Switch up the scenery. Treadmills are a great way to know exact distances and speeds, and manually change the incline while watching TV, but fresh air walks with a partner can be just as effective.
  • Walk faster for a few minutes at a time and then slow down for a few minutes. Picking up the pace for walking intervals will cause fluctuations in heart rate, burn more calories, and improve heart rate response to exercise and rest. 
  • Track progress with an app or fitness tracker. Turn your walks into a game, and you might be surprised how easily you can increase your walking distance and goals.

Walking is a great way to increase physical activity, which will have a positive impact on health span and lifespan, and biological age – all of which improves the aging process. 

Make exercise a daily habit with these tips for success!

References

  1. Bai X, Soh KG, Omar Dev RD, et al. Effect of brisk walking on health-related physical fitness balance and life satisfaction among the elderly: A systematic review. Front Public Health2021;9:829367.
  2. Murtagh EM, Murphy MH, Boone-Heinonen J. Walking: the first steps in cardiovascular disease prevention. Curr Opin Cardiol 2010;25(5):490-496.
  3. Oppezzo M, Schwartz DL. Give your ideas some legs: the positive effect of walking on creative thinking. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 2014;40(4):1142-1152.
  4. Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Bassett DR Jr, et al. Association of daily step count and step intensity with mortality among US adults. JAMA 2020;323(12):1151-1160.