Q: I know walking is good for my body. But can it be my only form of exercise?
Stepping outside for a brisk walk can bring significant health benefits. Walking has been linked to improved blood pressure, better mental health and lower risks of falls, cardiovascular disease and dementia. It’s also an accessible way to get moving that many people can fit in while taking out the dog or commuting to work.
But while walking is almost universally considered good physical activity, it’s not necessarily great exercise, said Alex Rothstein, an exercise physiologist and assistant professor of exercise science at the New York Institute of Technology School of Health Professions. The distinction, he said, is that exercise is structured, quantifiable physical activity that challenges your body.
Whether or not walking is enough exercise for you personally depends on the intensity of your walks, your fitness level and your health goals.
Walking intensity matters
While step count may be the most familiar walking metric, Dr. Rothstein cautioned against making it your sole focus. “Ten thousand steps was never meant to be the defining task of your day,” he said. Instead, it’s important to consider the intensity of your walks and the amount of time you spend exercising.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that people aim for about 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking, or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise, like swimming or running uphill.
“What’s sustainable moderate-intensity exercise to one person may be different for another person,” said Dr. Ashish Sarraju, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
To figure out which category your walk falls into, take note of how hard you’re working, Dr. Rothstein said. If you’re out of breath and feel as if your effort level is a six or seven out of 10, you’ve reached moderate-intensity exercise. There’s also the talk test: If you can carry on a conversation easily, your exercise is low intensity. If you can get out some words but can’t sing, that’s moderate.
Where walking falls short
Walking can increase your cardiovascular fitness — though less efficiently than running — but it doesn’t build muscle nearly as much as activities like lifting weights or doing squats and lunges.
The American Heart Association recommends supplementing aerobic exercise with muscle-strengthening activities twice a week. If you’re just starting out, you can opt for resistance bands or body-weight exercises. Michele Stanten, a walking coach and fitness instructor in the Philadelphia area, said that strengthening your muscles could also help you walk longer and faster.
As you age, resistance training can help prevent bone loss more effectively than walking alone, and doing balance exercises and dynamic stretching after a walk can help maintain mobility and prevent falls.
How to get a better walking workout
There are several ways to increase the intensity of your daily walk. In addition to picking up the pace, you can alternate between bursts of slow and fast walking, or try Nordic walking with poles to engage your upper body. You can also work different muscles by walking on different terrains or heading uphill (or even uphill and backward.)
Mitchell Strong, a coach with the New York Road Runners Striders walking program for older adults, said that after walking for a while, running can feel like a natural progression. Alternating intervals of walking and running can help you start.
Although increasing the intensity of your walk has its benefits, ultimately, the experts said that the best workout is the one you’ll keep doing.
If you’re walking the same route every day and it’s no longer challenging, Dr. Rothstein said, “I would never say, ‘Don’t do it.’” Instead, if you’re walking with the goal of improving your fitness, he recommends making a few tweaks — whether that’s pushing to finish your route a few minutes faster or taking a new one up a hill.
Taking little steps “to up the ante is probably the most important recommendation I can make with walking,” he said.
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