Establishing a regular walking habit is good for the mind, body, and soul. Lacing up your sneakers and hitting your favorite trails or walking route is a great way to add extra steps to your day and stay social, whether you do “walk and talks” on the phone with loved ones or have a walking buddy. Plus, if you have access to a treadmill, it’s a healthy habit you can maintain no matter the time of year or what the weather’s doing outside. The benefits of walking are numerous, so listen up; we spoke with personal trainers who break down exactly what happens to your body when you walk every day.
Engaging in this low-impact, low-intensity form of cardio is something you can easily work into your daily routine. “It doesn’t produce a large stress response in the body like higher-intensity exercise options, such as HIIT or running, can, especially in those who are new to fitness,” explains Amanda Capritto, a certified personal trainer, sports nutrition coach, and functional training specialist. “Additionally, walking is a low-cost activity: You only need comfortable clothing and adequate walking shoes. It’s very accessible as far as exercise goes, and if you live somewhere with safe walking routes, you don’t need to invest in any equipment or purchase a gym membership.”
Walking also isn’t super fatiguing, so you can boost the total amount of weekly exercise you complete in a way that works with other forms of exercise, like high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Now, let’s get into exactly what happens to your body when you walk every day.
You’ll torch more calories.
Research shows that walking can torch even more calories than jogging. Science also says that making small tweaks to your daily routine, like walking to your errands or work, can aid in your weight-loss efforts.
“Walking burns calories,” explains Domenic Angelino, CPT and author from the International Personal Trainer Academy (NPTA). “If all other areas of your exercise routine and lifestyle are the same, and you add walking into your routine, you will burn more calories overall than you otherwise would have.”
You’ll reduce body fat.
Seeing as walking is an excellent calorie burner, it’s also efficient at reducing body fat.
“[Walking will] have a direct effect on the fat in your body,” Angelino says. “The exact effect depends on how many calories you are eating each week and how many calories you are burning overall. It may either reduce how quickly you are gaining fat or increase how quickly you are losing fat. Both of these can help improve your health and have a meaningful impact on your body.”
You’ll boost the endurance of your calves.
Walking puts a variety of muscles to work, including the calves.
“The calves are the ones most involved in supporting this process,” Angelino tells us. “Walking very frequently can help increase the endurance of your calves, especially if you normally don’t move around much in your day anyway.”
You may experience lower blood pressure.
Walking daily can boost cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure. Research shows that hypertension contributes to heart disease, and your level of physical activity majorly impacts this. Adding walking to your routine can seamlessly help you take the right steps toward lowering blood pressure.
“Lower blood pressure is helpful because it means that you are at lower risk of dangerous heart issues, like experiencing a heart attack,” explains Angelino. “You can amplify the effectiveness of walking on lowering your blood pressure by intentionally walking at a faster pace.”
You’ll improve bone density.
When you think of improving bone density, your mind likely turns to resistance training. However, walking can help, too!
“[Walking is] still a form of weight-bearing exercise (moving your own bodyweight), so it does positively impact bone health,” Capritto says.
And research backs this up. According to a study published in The American Journal of Medicine, healthy postmenopausal women who walked around 1 mile daily experienced a greater whole-body bone density compared to women who completed shorter distances. The research determined that walking is extremely productive in decreasing the rate of bone loss in the legs and helping individuals preserve skeletal integrity.
You’ll improve the endurance of your postural muscles.
If you don’t get enough movement during your workday, walking regularly may improve the endurance of your postural muscles.
“When you stand upright and when you walk, you will subconsciously use muscles in your body to support your posture,” Angelino explains. “It’s how humans are able to keep their torsos upright and limbs in certain positions as they go about their days. The stress walking places on postural muscles isn’t particularly high, but it is much higher than sitting would be.”
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers. Read more about Alexa
