\u201cWalking is the best exercise you can do.\u201d This is a statement likely to spark some healthy debate. <\/p>\n
Cardio fans might claim running<\/a> offers more bang for your buck, while gym-goers will doubtless say lifting weights<\/a> is key for strength and longevity<\/a>. But according to an expert in the subject, walking<\/a> reigns supreme. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s accessible, and for most people there are low barriers to entry in terms of cost, equipment or skill requirements \u2013 that\u2019s why we say it\u2019s the best,\u201d says Dr Elroy Aguiar<\/a>, an assistant professor in exercise science at The University of Alabama, who specialises in step-based physical activity.<\/p>\n But despite walking\u2019s accessibility credentials, there are still many people chained to their desks or run (quite literally) off their feet, who consequently can\u2019t find time to squeeze in much health-boosting movement. For these people, Dr Aguiar says there are ways to make the steps they are doing go even further. <\/p>\n Focus on cadence <\/p>\n The World Health Organisation<\/a>\u2019s physical activity guidelines state that adults \u201cshould do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity or an equivalent combination of both throughout the week\u201d.<\/p>\n This suggests that, while more movement is better, those with limited time will enjoy greater ROI from higher-intensity activities. And one of the easiest ways to increase the intensity of walking is to increase your step speed \u2013 aka cadence. <\/p>\n \u201cOur studies [published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine<\/a>] show that if you walk at a cadence of about 100 steps per minute, that\u2019s equivalent to what\u2019s called \u2018moderate-intensity\u2019,\u201d says Dr Aguiar. \u201cAll of the research in this area suggests that most of the benefits [of walking] accumulate at a moderate or higher intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n This is easier than it sounds, he says, with most people self-selecting a cadence of roughly 110-115 steps per minute when striding purposefully down the street.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you wanted to bump it up to a vigorous-intensity, you could walk at around 130 steps per minute,\u201d Dr Aguiar adds. \u201cIf you move within that range or slightly above, you can shift gears so to speak and move from moderate to vigorous, getting more benefit from the activity you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n 10-second takeaways: <\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>Joe Wicks says the fitness industry is overlooking those who need it most \u2013 this is his solution<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n One minute of higher-intensity activity can be beneficial <\/p>\n This advice stems from another of Dr Aguiar\u2019s research papers, this time published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports<\/a> in 2024. <\/p>\n The top line is that increasing both exercise quantity and quality (ie. intensity) are linked to improved health outcomes, and as little as one minute of higher-intensity activity has been associated with lower levels of metabolic syndrome.<\/p>\n Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of five cardiovascular risk factors comprising elevated waist circumference, high triglycerides, low HDL (the \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol), high blood pressure and high blood sugar. So in layman\u2019s terms: if you want to lose fat, lower your blood sugar and blood pressure, and improve your cholesterol levels, very short bouts of higher-intensity exercise can help. <\/p>\n \u201cAccumulating a high volume of walking throughout the day, then focussing on doing at least 30 minutes of faster walking or jogging, would be a good way to lower your metrics for each of the progressive risk factors,\u201d says Dr Aguiar.<\/p>\n \u201cBut one of the really interesting findings from our paper was that, if you look at people\u2019s highest one minute of activity across each day, that was a very strong signal for whether they had one or more of the metabolic syndrome risk factors present. Even something as little as one minute of high-intensity activity could be beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n 10-second takeaways: <\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>A fat loss expert says \u2018diets don\u2019t work\u2019 – he recommends doing these five things instead for long-term results<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Move after meals <\/p>\n \u201cWe know that even a short amount of exercise has an immediate effect,\u201d says Dr Aguiar. \u201cStraight away, you get lower blood pressure and lower blood glucose. This ties in with another study on postprandial walking<\/a> [walking after a meal].\u201d<\/p>\n The research found that, in \u201colder persons at risk for glucose intolerance\u201d, those who went for a 15-minute walk after meals had much shallower highs and lows in their blood sugar levels throughout the day. Why? Because glucose is pulled into the cells of working muscles during exercise to be used as energy, so if you go for a walk after eating then blood sugar levels are stopped from spiking. This can prevent the development of insulin resistance. <\/p>\n \u201cThe way insulin resistance works is that, over years and decades, the body can become resistant to the effect of insulin [a hormone which regulates blood sugar levels] because you\u2019re consuming too much carbohydrate,\u201d Dr Aguiar explains.<\/p>\n \u201cThe muscle, because it\u2019s not active, becomes resistant, and then insulin doesn\u2019t work anymore. That\u2019s when you have to take medications like synthetic insulin or other drugs that control blood glucose levels like metformin.\u201d<\/p>\n But these medications should be seen as a \u201clast line of defence\u201d, he adds. Your body is likely to have been struggling with handling glucose for some time before insulin resistance develops, and exercise (vis-\u00e0-vis, walking) is a \u201cprimary strategy and behavioural recommendation\u201d for combatting this. <\/p>\n \u201c[Moving after meals] reduces the amount of work your pancreas has to do, and improves the way your muscle can take in or accept glucose to use it as a fuel,\u201d Dr Aguiar says. \u201cThat effect over years and decades is what prevents you from getting metabolic syndrome, diabetes and hypertension. Just 15 minutes of walking after each main meal is going to be beneficial for your health.\u201d<\/p>\n 10-second takeaways: <\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>The 80:20 training routine that can help you live longer according to a specialist trainer<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Try rucking <\/p>\n Rucking<\/a> refers to the act of walking with weights<\/a>, usually in the form of a loaded backpack<\/a>. This can be done with specialist kit, such as a custom-built rucksack and weight plates, or you can just chuck a few heavier household items into a sturdy but standard bag then go for a walk. <\/p>\n Now for the obvious question: why would you want to do that? <\/p>\n \u201cExtra weight costs you energy to move,\u201d says Dr Aguiar. \u201cIf you\u2019re adding weight, it\u2019s going to increase your oxygen consumption, and it\u2019s going to increase your heart rate if you\u2019re trying to maintain the same speed of walking.\u201d<\/p>\n As referenced in the points above, this will increase the intensity of your walk, leading to elevated calorie burn and potentially increased cardio perks in the same timeframe. And the benefits don\u2019t end there. <\/p>\n \u201cAll of the muscles in your lower body \u2013 the quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius (calf muscles) \u2013 are going to have to accommodate that heavier load, so you could get small improvements in strength and bone density, especially if you do it over a prolonged period of time,\u201d Dr Aguiar adds. <\/p>\n \u201cThis probably won\u2019t be equivalent to what you would achieve from resistance training, but you may get some improvement in muscle mass from rucking.\u201d<\/p>\n A good starting point for rucking is to carry a couple of extra kilograms in your bag while walking, then you can build the weight from there as your fitness level increases. Start light and progress gradually to give your body time to adapt to this new demand and minimise injury risk. <\/p>\n 10-second takeaways: <\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>Generation Anxious: Why ordinary ups and downs are turning the young into \u2018can\u2019t cope\u2019 workers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What are the benefits of walking?<\/p>\n Even without any of these techniques, walking boasts plenty of benefits, and there is an ever-growing pool of research to support this. <\/p>\n \u201cOver the last two or three years there have been a lot of large studies coming out looking at prospective associations between walking and health outcomes like all-cause mortality, which is a fancy way of saying any reason why someone would die,\u201d Dr Aguiar explains. \u201cThese studies are showing that walking, not necessarily in huge volumes, is associated with large reductions in risk of all-cause mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n A 2023 meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology<\/a> found there is a \u201csignificant inverse association between daily step count and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, with the more [steps] the better over the cut-off point of 3867 steps per day for all-cause mortality and only 2,337 steps per day for cardiovascular mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n In other words, the more you walk, the lower your risk of dying, and a little extra activity can go a long way \u2013 \u201cWe showed that a 1,000-step increment correlated with a significant reduction of all-cause mortality of 15 per cent, and similarly, a 500-step increment correlated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality of seven per cent,\u201d the research goes on to add.<\/p>\n A 2023 University of Granada<\/a> study then sought to find the optimal number of steps per day. It concluded that, while more movement is inevitably better for your health, \u201cif we focus on the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, most of the benefits are seen at around 7,000 steps [per day]\u201d. It adds that the coveted 10,000-step goal has \u201cno scientific basis\u201d, but can be a handy way to encourage more movement. <\/p>\n Beyond all-cause mortality, further benefits of walking can depend on your fitness level. For example, an Olympic runner who regularly subjects themself to an intense training regime is unlikely to build cardiovascular fitness from a brisk stroll \u2013 they\u2019re already operating at a higher level. The same applies to gym-goers, who probably won\u2019t build leg strength from 10,000 steps<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, if you currently do little-to-no activity, the stimulus provided by walking will be sufficient to trigger greater changes. These include boosting heart health and cardiovascular fitness, strengthening the bones, joints and muscles in your lower body so you\u2019re less susceptible to injury, and contributing to daily calorie burn to aid weight management. <\/p>\n\n
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