Stepping out
We’ve been told 10,000 steps a day is the magic number, but research shows it’s not how far we walk but where and how fast that really makes the difference, discovers Jane
We all know walking is great exercise for the mind and body, and it has kept many of us sane during lockdowns. Department for Transport research shows more than a third of us are walking more than we did before the pandemic – and most plan to continue stepping out.
Dozens of studies confirm it delivers big health benefits. Walking at least four hours a week reduces the risk of a heart attack or stroke by a third, improves blood glucose control, lowers blood pressure, combats depression and delays dementia.
Now the latest science suggests you don’t have to clock up 10,000 steps per day – instead picking the right route and making some minor changes to the way you walk will boost the benefits.
Path to fitness
Pollution has plunged with people working from home, but as traffic picks up, make sure you walk away from busy roads. Even short-term exposure to traffic fumes undermines the benefits.
A pre-pandemic study published in The Lancet, looked at two groups of over-60s who walked for two hours in central London – half in Oxford Street and half in Hyde Park – with lung function and cardiovascular responses measured.
Those who walked in the park increased their lung capacity by 7.5 per cent and reduced arterial stiffness (a sign of reduced cardiovascular capacity) by five per cent, with the benefits lasting for 26 hours. But the volunteers who walked down Oxford Street had only a brief improvement in lung capacity, and arterial stiffness got worse, rising by seven per cent.
Walking in green spaces provides a mental boost, too. Research for Mind found 71 per cent of people with depression reported a green walk improved their mood while a US study found forest walks reduced stress and improved working memory – but roadside walks increased anxiety.
The benefits of “green walking” are so strong, Essex University researchers discovered, that watching images of nature while running on a treadmill reduced stress more effectively than looking at urban landscapes.
Surfaces also make a difference. A University of Michigan study revealed that uneven ground increases activity in seven muscles and calorie burning by 28 per cent. Walking on cobblestones for just 45 minutes a week has been shown to improve wellbeing and balance, and lower blood pressure too.
How much?
A study of more than 9,000 people with poor glucose control found that every 2,000 steps up to 10,000 reduced the risk of developing diabetes by five per cent. But don’t fear the target.
A four-year study of older women found that 4,400 steps a day reduced the risk of dying over that time by 41 per cent, 7,500 daily steps cut it by 58 per cent – then the benefits levelled off. Pittsburgh University researchers also showed 1,750 and 2,750 steps a day helped maintain brain volume and cut memory issues.
Smart steps
Speed is more important than steps. A study that tracked 10,000 civil servants for more than 30 years found those with a naturally brisk walk were less
likely to die from heart disease or cancer in their 60s and 70s.
Research has linked slow walking speeds to dementia and brain scans show that 40-somethings who stroll rather than stride have older brains than brisk walkers. The King’s College London study also showed that, on average, faster walkers had IQ scores that were 12 points higher.
London Southbank University researchers found that making small changes to the way you walk can increase your speed by 23 per cent in 28 days. The WalkActive technique, developed by sports scientist Joanna Hall, was also proven to reduce body fat by three per cent and waist measurements by
15 per cent. Unlike running, which can be tough on muscles and joints, it also reduces knee pain.
How to WalkActive
Joanna Hall developed WalkActive in 2008, when she was 11 weeks pregnant and recovering from emergency surgery for appendicitis. The operation required a large abdominal incision, through several key muscles, and afterwards Joanna was barely able to stand – let alone exercise.
Realising her problems would get worse as her baby grew, she decided to heal herself. “I’d always been very focused on the biomechanics of exercise and the quality of movement and technique, and I started applying that knowledge to the way I walked,” she explains.
WalkActive is built on two core principles. The first is what Joanna calls an “active foot” – where the heel hits the ground first, and you roll your weight through the foot before pushing off from your toes.
“Shift your focus away from pulling yourself forward with your front leg, and think about propelling yourself forward from your back leg,” says Joanna. “This makes a huge difference to joint alignment, tone of the glutes and improving posture.”
The second principle is to lift your torso out of your hips. “This helps safeguard hip joints, flattens abdominals and opens up tight hip flexors that can contribute to lower back pain.”
As you master the basics, your pace picks up naturally, and new tweaks and adjustments are added.
“The finessing of it can be really profound,” she says.
■ Joanna has launched a Stroll to Stride app to get people off their sofas and walking 5km in 45 minutes in six weeks. Suitable for all fitness levels, it includes access to an online community and costs £20. Go to walk-active.com
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Lifting your torso out of your hips helps safeguard your hip joints