What are the benefits of walking?

Article by The Registered Massage Therapists’ Association of British Columbia. 

Walking, what is it?

Walking is easy on the joints and gets your heart pumping. It’s easy to do, inside or outside and costs almost nothing.

What are the benefits of walking?

• Improves cardiovascular fitness by strengthening your heart
• Improves bone health
• Lower risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease
• Reduce stress and symptoms of depression
• Improves physical ability and reduces risk of physical disability in older adults

Who should/can do it?

• Walking is great for any age and any skill level!

How to do it safely?

• Proper footwear is a must!
• Invest in a walking or running shoes with good ankle and arch support and a cushioned sole.

How often can you/should you do it?

• Brisk walking counts as a moderate intensity activity. It should make you feel warm and slightly winded, and increase you heart rate.
• Follow the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Aim for 150 minutes or more each week of moderate to vigourous intensity activity if you are an adult, or 60 minutes a day if you are under 18 years of age.
• You can accumulate 150 minutes per week or 60 minutes daily by doing 10 to 15 min intervals of brisk walking a day.

Goal Setting

• Work up from a low intensity to higher intensity by increasing your stride length and your speed.
• Start out at your normal walking pace and gradually increase the amount of time that you walk, the speed at which you walk, or both on a daily or weekly basis.
• Every try speed walking? A good walking speed is 4.5-6.5 km per hour (2-4mph). Once you hit 6.5 km/h, it gets more difficult because it feels like you should probably turn it into a run. Doing a proper speed walk can help at higher speeds.