Braxton Taylor
Walking can be life-changing for your health and wellness. Walking more can be helpful for weight loss and mental health and help reduce the risks of chronic diseases. Here is a question from an older guy who has been training for years and does not see the benefits of walking for him because he runs and lifts:
Stew, I am an OG like you (over 50 still lift / run). I have seen a lot about walking in American exercise lately. Have we gotten so bad that we now think walking is enough exercise? I know we are hurting for fitness on average, but how much does walking help? Thanks – sorry to be the naysayer. Walt.
Walt, you are doing excellently in keeping moving and strength training with your choice of running and lifting. Lifting and running in your 50s will make moving in your 60s and 70s easier. I, too, run, lift, swim and do calisthenics throughout the year, but I also walk throughout the day, whether walking the dog or needing a break from work for 10-15 minutes after meals. I find walking de-stressing. It is not part of my physical fitness training, but it is more beneficial for general health and wellness than you may think. Adding another 10,000 steps to my day is something I enjoy, and I find it a tough standard to maintain daily.
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Here are some benefits of walking, regardless of whether a person exercises regularly:
Improved Blood Sugar and Insulin Response
Walking 10-15 minutes after meals does more to regulate blood sugar than one 45-minute walk at the end of the day. It also improves digestion and manages the insulin response. Plus, this method is ideal for those of us who cannot fit 45-60 minutes of walking at once into our busy schedules.
Better Mental Health
Lower-intensity physical activity, such as walking, biking or yoga, can be just as helpful in reducing stress and depressive symptoms by helping the body metabolize the stress hormones.
It Relieves Stress
Walking and focused breathing, such as box breathing, can be a much-needed boost to your work and home lives. A brisk walk will help you unwind, and even if you already train, getting up to walk throughout the day will help you be more productive at work and relax after dealing with a commute at home. If you sit all day at work (regardless of exercise), you should get up every so often and walk for 5-10 minutes.
Walking Too Easy? Try Rucking
Many people who find running difficult, but find walking too easy, have opted to carry weight on their walks. Compared to walking without extra weight, wearing a backpack or weight vest is a great way to burn more calories, increase strength in your core and legs, and work the heart and lungs. Rucking may be more suitable for you, given your current abilities. I will walk my dog with a weight vest or mow my grass with a weight vest to burn more calories.
Walking Helps with Balance
The more you walk, the more you stabilize the necessary muscles to keep you upright. As we age, the threat of falling increases each decade. Keep walking and reduce the risk of a potentially costly fall.
Working out is indeed relative. One man’s warm-up could be another’s max-effort workout. While we should try to maintain above-average fitness standards as we age, some helpful health and wellness activities have benefits beyond our lifts and runs. Try adding more walking and see if you see the benefits in your life.
Find ways to do more health and wellness training at the Military.com Fitness Section, which contains hundreds of articles to help beginners and advanced athletes of any age with fitness test prep, mental toughness, goal setting, strength training, nutrition and stress mitigation skills.
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