Why Walking Still Matters (Even If It Doesn’t Burn a Ton of Calories)

I don’t think there is anyone that would deny walking is good for you.

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However, while this might be true, I also think many people fail to hit 5,000 steps per day and don’t even think twice about it. As seen below, most states report that about a fourth or more of their population are physically inactive. Moreover, it should also be highlighted that this is self-report data which usually underestimates percentages. I mean, who wants to honestly admit they are less active than they actually are?

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Why Aren’t People Walking More?

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So, why aren’t people more active? Why aren’t we getting more steps? Do they actually understand the benefits and just not care? Or do they not understand how great something as simple as walking can be for them and their health?

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Obviously, there is no one exact answer. However, for some people I know, they have outright said, “well I heard walking doesn’t burn a lot of calories so it doesn’t really matter.” And while they are correct that walking a couple miles isn’t going to substantially contribute to your daily calorie deficit, they are very incorrect in that they don’t matter.

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For most, I hope this email simply serves as a good reminder of the things you already know. And for others who might not know these benefits, I hope you learn a thing or two. But for everyone, I hope this encourages you to keep getting those steps up!

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Let's Look at Some Benefits…

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Mental Health

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We live in a fast paced world where it is almost expected that we enjoy being stressed and seeing how much we can handle at once. Me on the other hand, I prefer to be as little as stressed as possible. And while this is not always possible, there are many things I do to try and bring down those levels and one of those things is walking. Researchers have reported that physical activity (regardless of intensity) is associated with better mental health (1). Therefore, regular physical activity (something as simple as walking) appears to be a great way to help reduce stress. So does this mean walking only benefits my mental health if I have been doing it a while? No! Other researchers have demonstrated that even an acute bout of walking improves affect and psychological well-being (2). So whether you want lower stress overall or are dealing with a specific stressful moment, walking appears to be beneficial!

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Physical Health

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The second reason I try to keep my steps up is just health in general. For many, they fall into the trap of thinking that if they can’t get out for a run or do a full cardio session, there is really no point to walk for a few minutes when they have a chance. Once again, this is not the case. In a study of 33,000 runners and 15,000 walkers, researchers examined if walking and running provided equivalent health benefits as long as energy expenditure was kept that same. Ultimately, they found that as long as energy expenditure was matched, both forms of activity produced similar risk reductions in high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes (3).

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So whether you have time for an hour mile walk in the morning or six 10-minute walks throughout the workday, you have the ability to greatly reduce health risks. Activity does not always have to be exhausting, strenuous, or long to have good health implications.

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Mortality

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And of course, saving the biggest for last – mortality. People say they would do a lot of things to live healthier and live longer. Well good news for them (and for you if you are also one who wants to live longer), getting extra steps can do just that. Whether purposeful steps (e.g., specific walks you go on) or incidental steps (e.g., just the movement for being up and about), both are associated in lower odds of all-cause mortality (4).

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And for the cherry on top, you don’t have to walk for hours on end to get these benefits. Just even achieving 7-8,000 steps/day substantially reduces odds of all cause mortality compared to walking only 3-4,000 steps/day.

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So if you have 10 to 15 minutes in the morning, at work, or even end of the day, walking an extra 1,000 steps could make a world of difference.

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Final Thoughts

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These are just a few (of many) benefits to walking. So, if you are looking to make a small, manageable change, getting more steps in your everyday life could be the perfect solution!

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Ready to start thriving again? Let us help by putting an expert in your corner to get you there faster and maintain that progress for life! Learn more about our online health coaching by clicking here!

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REFERENCES

1. Bertheussen, G. F., Romundstad, P. R., Landmark, T., Kaasa, S., Dale, O. L. A., & Helbostad, J. L. (2011). Associations between physical activity and physical and mental health--a HUNT 3 study. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 43(7), 1220-1228.
2. Kopp, M., Steinlechner, M., Ruedl, G., Ledochowski, L., Rumpold, G., & Taylor, A. H. (2012). Acute effects of brisk walking on affect and psychological well-being in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes research and clinical practice, 95(1), 25-29.
3. Williams, P. T., & Thompson, P. D. (2013). Walking versus running for hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus risk reduction. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, 33(5), 1085-1091.
4. del Pozo Cruz, B., Ahmadi, M. N., Lee, I. M., & Stamatakis, E. (2022). Prospective associations of daily step counts and intensity with cancer and cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality and all-cause mortality. JAMA internal medicine, 182(11), 1139-1148.

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