I have never been convinced that walking is a form of exercise. Seriously, how can such a basic movement that seems so easy have any effect besides from getting from A to B? Admit it, when you see people all decked out in their fitness gear just walking, you silently judge (even if subconsciously). Yet, so many people say that we have been unfairly categorizing walking as “pointless” exercise and whether there was any truth to their claims.

Experts say walking is an effective form of physical activity and a mental boost. Walking creates less stress on joints and reduces pain, improves endurance, circulation, posture, and cardiac health.

Australia’s Physical Activity & Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines recommend adults 18-64 years should accumulate 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week which includes brisk walking. This means a pace where you can talk comfortably but not sing (not really sure how many people are singing as they exercise). For most people, walking is the easiest way to meet physical activity recommendations.

As a runner, I know that walking is nowhere near as physically demanding. Running engages larger muscles groups, greater force, and faster motion. Yet, walking in comparison may be the better choice for some people. Running is not ideal for those with knee, back or weight problems. In fact, walking is a recommended workout as it “is a lower impact exercise and can be done for longer periods of time” says John Ford, certified exercise physiologist, who runs JKF Fitness & Health in New York City.


By comparing the National Runner’s Health study with the National Walkers’ health study, researchers found that energy used for vigorous-intensity running and moderate-intensity walking resulted in similar risk reductions for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease over the study’s six-year period. Well that makes me stop and think.

Yet, emphasis needs to be placed on the pace. I knew there was a catch. You should be walking at a speed of about 6km per hour to get any fitness benefits says Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and School of Public Health. Stamatakis and his colleagues linked faster walking speeds to a reduced risk of dying from pretty much everything except cancer.

Also, the need to use the same amount of energy is something to note. Usually, a run is faster than a walk if you want to burn the same amount of calories. Walking at a fast pace for 30 minutes can burn up to 315 kilojoules (75 calories) whilst running burns up to 500 in the same amount of time. Of course, the faster, farther and more often you walk, the greater the benefits.

Similar findings were found by Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Scientists analysed the life expectancy of 475 000 people who self-reported as slow or brisk walkers. Those who walked faster based on the recommendation of 6km/hour lived roughly 15 to 20 years longer than those who walked 3km/hour.

I love how exercise always seems to be good for the mind and not just the body. It seems that the effects of a mental boost gained from a daily walk is more immediate than the physical benefits.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America found that a 10 minute brisk walk may be just as good as a 45 minute workout when it comes to relieving anxiety and elevating your mood. A study found that walking in nature specifically, is linked to fewer negative thoughts and lowered risk of depression. That sounds ideal to me.

When discovering the effects of walking on creativity, I was surprised. A Stanford study found that walking increased creative output by an average of 60%. The study concluded that “walking opens up the free flow of ideas” which makes complete sense because it allows our mind to wander. When walking, we normally are free to think without a set purpose promoting innovation and creative thinking. I am always going to see the greener side of things.

Walking has some environmental credibility. Reducing car trips and deciding to walk decreases noise pollution, emissions, traffic congestion and reliance on fuel. The beauty of walking is that it is free – special equipment isn't needed and you can walk almost anywhere.

Walking is also a great social activity alternative. Being active and catching up with a friend is a win-win situation.

The idea of this perfect step count has been drilled into our world. You may be shocked to discover that it was a Japanese 1960s advertising campaign to promote a pedometer and not science that supported the 10 000 steps a day quota. The idea seemed to stick and countries like Australia began to introduce it in broader public health. Researchers have studied the 10 000 steps a day standard and although a worthwhile goal, it is not a one size fits all wonder number.

For instance, a recent Harvard study found that about 4 400 steps a day was enough to lower the risk of death in women (compared with 2 700 steps daily). The increase in steps resulted in a decreased risk of premature dying. Past 7 500 the benefits seem to level off. Again an emphasis on the speed of the pace was valued more than the number of steps. Sorry to say to all those people proclaiming the healthy benefits of the 10 000 steps goals, but it seems that it is a bit of an overshot. A common misconception that people have with working out is that it is central to losing weight. Diet is a far more important part of the weight loss equation, research suggests. Even with a tight control on daily caloric intake, it takes a lot of walking to having a meaningful impact. To give a clearer idea, a 70 kg person would burn about 500 calories from walking for 90 minutes at a speed of 7.2km/hour. To me this seems like a very long time, at a almost uncomfortable pace to be trying to lose weight.

One interesting impact of walking is that it influences a person’s body composition. Where a person carries fat indicates disease risk. Avid walkers generally have smaller waist circumferences. A higher risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes is associated with waist measurements more than 88cm for women and 101cm for men.

After researching and comparing studies, I do appreciate walking as a form of exercise but it is definitely not the best workout for me. With my current regime of intense strengthening and shorter but hard runs I am getting all the physical benefits I need as per the recommendations.

With walking, attention on the rate is key if you want to experience the benefits. Sure being active is great, but being effective in your activity is even better. The power of the human brain and it's response to physical activity is so interesting where focusing on what you are doing is key. The psychological benefits with walking did surprise me. I have spoken about this connection to your fitness in my Discover how you want to exercise blog.

There we have it, for those of you looking to fulfill your physical activity recommendation, brisk walking is a simple way to improve your aerobic fitness. Keep in mind however, that you need to walk according to your body - for you, 10 000 steps a day may be a bit excessive at no added benefit!

For further reading, here is the University of Sydney study on how walking faster could make you live longer.