If you’re feeling stressed, depressed, or unable to come up with creative ideas at work, you
may want to take a walk. Your doctor probably won’t prescribe walks for you, but “Walking
is the closest thing we have to a wonder drug,” according to Dr. Thomas Frieden, former
director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What’s great about this “wonder drug” is no special equipment, training, or prescription
is required—and it can be done inside or outside. (Also, no dogs are needed, but they may
provide extra incentive.) Walking just 30 minutes each day can improve your cardiovascular
fitness, reduce excess body fat, strengthen bones, and boost your muscle power and
endurance.1 Make sure you’ve chosen comfortable shoes that are designed specifically
for walking.
The Mayo Clinic: The faster, farther, and more frequently you walk,
the greater the benefits
Walking isn’t complicated, and walking regularly at a brisk pace helps you do the following:2
Improve your mood, cognition, memory and sleep
Maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat
Reduce stress and tension
Strengthen your immune system
Prevent or manage certain conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure,
cancer, and type 2 diabetes
Improve cardiovascular fitness
Improve your balance and coordination
Strengthen your muscles and bones
Increase energy levels
Improve muscle endurance
As the Mayo Clinic reports, the farther, faster, and more frequently you walk, the greater the
benefits. There are also benefits to alternating periods of brisk walking with leisurely walking.
The benefits of walking
Harvard study shows additional benefits of brisk walking
Harvard researchers who studied 32 obesity-promoting genes in more than 12,000 people
discovered that study participants who walked briskly for about an hour a day were
less likely to experience the effects of those genes. In fact, the effects of those obesitypromoting
genes were cut in half.3
The benefits of walking shared in the Harvard Study include:3
It can reduce cravings for sugary snacks.
It reduces the risk of developing breast cancer.
It eases joint pain.
It boosts your immunity, making you less likely to get sick.
Be careful not to walk “too much”
If you’re just starting a walking routine, don’t push yourself too hard. You may want to
start with 15 minutes of walking at an easy pace, adding a few minutes each week until
you’re able to walk 30 minutes at a brisk pace, and can speak in full sentences without
breathing heavily.5
Also, make sure you’re using the right posture, foot motion, stride, and arm movement,
which will reduce your chances of developing pain. The health resource Verywell Fit
recommends the following:5
Walking posture: Level hips, no slouching
Arm motion: Bent elbows and a natural arm swing
Foot motion: Roll from heel to toe
Walking stride: Push off with your rear foot, don’t overstride
Benefits for older adults
The May 2023 AARP Bulletin promotes the benefits of walking to help facilitate new brain
cells, boost creativity, enhance your mood, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
It appears a regular walking routine is win/win for everyone.
1 BetterHealth Channel: Walking for good health
2 Mayo Clinic: Walking: Trim your waistline, improve your health
3 Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School: 5 surprising benefits of walking, August 25, 2022
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