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8 reasons walking is the most underrated form of exercise

Posted August 29, 2022 by Aly Eichman

September is the perfect time to get your fitness routine back on track, and what better way than walking? Here are 8 reasons walking is the most underrated form of exercise:

  1. Promotes cardiovascular health and circulation: Walking has proven to improve the heart health and circulation of every age demographic and health status– it has the potential to play a key role in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease!
  2. Accessible: walking is inexpensive (free!)
  3. Strengthen muscles: When we walk we use all the muscles of our core- front, side, and back with each step.
  4. Support your joints: Walking can help protect the joints- it helps lubricate and strengthen the muscles that support the joints. Walking may also provide benefits for people living with arthritis, such as reducing pain.
  5. Improve your mood: Good for your physical AND mental health!
  6. Improve your sleep: Studies found that women, ages 50 to 75, who took one-hour morning walks, were more likely to relieve insomnia than women who didn’t walk.
  7. Live longer: Per the Arthritis Foundation, “Research finds that people who exercise regularly in their fifties and sixties are 35% less likely to die over the next eight years than their non-walking counterparts. That number shoots up to 45% less likely for those who have underlying health conditions.”
  8. Walking is for all fitness levels! There is a type of walking for everyone:
    • Moderate-intensity aerobic walking: when you walk at a pace that quickens your breathing somewhat (though you should still be able to have a conversation comfortably.  Consider adding stairs or hills to your walk to boost the intensity.
    • Water walking: a low-impact cardio exercise– this means it’s gentler on your bones and joints, making it a safer exercise option for people who have conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis or fibromyalgia. However water is much denser than air therefore exercising in water requires more effort than the same exercise on land.
    • Wance: the art of dancing while walking. An excellent source of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise while having a ton of fun!
The benefits to walking are endless – join us at Bellin Health Fitness during the month of September for Get Back on Track: Walking Challenge!