What Makes Walking Such a Good Idea

One of the benefits during these covid days, if we can find any, is that there seems to be a whole lot more people walking around. Whether that translates into people being more active than they were before covid is debatable. But at the very least it has caused people to get outside and develop habits of regular walking. The habit of daily walking is a very good thing.

Regular daily walking has been shown in many research studies to help improve almost every aspect of your health. Whether that be to mobilize the joints, strengthen your bones and muscles, improve your cardiovascular, digestive and immune systems, or even your mental and emotional state, walking will have positive effects. Walking is top of the list along with good nutrition and sleep.

How much walking is needed? It depends on your lifestyle. If your work and home activities have you up and down and mostly on your feet all day then 30 minutes of brisk walking is good. However, if you are sitting for most of the day then at least 60 minutes of walking should be your goal. This can be broken up many ways (30 mins x 2, 15 x 4, 10 x 6 etc.). Do not fall into the trap of convincing yourself that you do not have time.

Any amount of walking is better than none. In fact, most non-walkers will spend more time thinking about why they cannot walk then the time it would take to just go out and do it. People with a sedentary lifestyle will start to see health improvements with as little as 15 minutes per day.

Various studies show that just walking 30 minutes per day will: reduce your risk of stroke by 30%, increase your brain’s ability for memory and planning, reduce depression symptoms by 30%, decrease risk of getting diabetes by 30%, drastically reduce your risk of heart disease, reduce the risk of hip fractures by 43% and can overall add 2 years to your life! That is a bonanza of results for such a small effort. That is far better than any drug or magic supplement can do.

For those who have arthritic knees, hips or low backs, where walking may be more painful, there are options. Firstly, any new activity may need to be introduced slowly, so try walking only 5-10 minutes at a time. If that is still too painful or difficult then I recommend using an elliptical machine, a stair stepper, marching in one spot, walking in the pool or lake (summer) or classical style cross country skiing (winter). Really, any movement will show health benefits. Walking is considered the best because it is a wholebody weight bearing low impact activity.

The beauty of walking is its ease and versatility, and it is free! Walking is a 12 month per year activity, even in Thunder Bay. Especially this time of the year, there is not better time to get outside, breath the air, let the sun make that vitamin D for you and get your body moving. Walking, your life depends on it.

James DiGiuseppe is a local chiropractor with a busy family and wellness practice. For more health information or to contact Dr. DiGiuseppe visit: