Is Walking a Good Enough Exercise? (What I Found Out)

Depending on who you ask, walking could either be considered exercise or not at all.

Some say walking is not a form of exercise because we do it daily, and it’s not intense enough to stimulate fat burning. The Mayo Clinic says that walking is a fantastic exercise with plenty of benefits. But wait! Before you take up walking as an exercise and roam around the neighborhood to check which neighbor is sunbathing in a two-piece bikini, let me tell you more.
What walking can do for you
This article from the Harvard Medical school claims that walking for 2.5 hours a week (or 21 minutes a day) can reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, blood pressure, and cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease by 30%.

That’s a great incentive to start walking now.

In addition, you could improve your cardiovascular health, strengthen bones and muscles, improve coordination, strengthen the immune system, improve sleep, increase energy levels, and more.

That’s a lot in return for an activity that doesn’t cost anything.

For me, these are the top benefits you could get from walking daily:

1. Weight maintenance

There are three types of people who I think could benefit from walking more:

A.)People who are obese and sedentary who want to burn more calories. Sometimes you have to walk before you can run, literally. Walking is a great way to kickstart a weight-loss journey.

It’s perfect for overweight people because it’s low-impact but helps them burn more calories with minimal injury risk. Combined with better nutrition, walking more could help them lose fat and get them to a fitness level where they can progress to more intense forms of exercise.

B.)People who are nursing injuries

Speaking of injuries, people with back or lower leg injury issues preventing them from doing intense exercise could still get a good workout from walking. (Disclaimer: Check with your doctor first if you want to exercise, especially when you have injuries)

C.) Physically active people

Recovery is a huge part of working out. Some who already work out regularly could benefit from walking too because they could burn extra calories. Since walking is not so intense, they still give their bodies time to recover from an intense workout.

I belong to the second group, unfortunately. A tennis elbow and calf strain forced me to stop working out for ten weeks to let the injuries heal.

During that period, the only exercise I did was walking. I gained 1.5 kgs (about 3.3 lbs), which is excellent considering I didn’t work out for almost three months with my diet remaining virtually the same.

My weight didn’t change much despite the lifestyle change.

1. Get more of the (vitamin) D
   Working out in a gym is great, but doing your workouts outdoors, whether it’s yoga, jogging, or walking, is just as great, or even better because it’s a great way to get the D (vitamin D, of course). There’s a whole list of benefits of getting more sunlight. Some include strengthening bones and muscles, boosting immunity, potentially aiding weight loss, and fighting depression.

2. Get your cardio in
   I found out that you can make walking as intense as you want it to be.

You can walk uphill, alternate between brisk walking and leisurely walking for an easy interval workout, hike up a mountain, or you can carry weights around (like ankle weights or a big bottle of water) while walking.

Doing these things guaranteed sweaty armpits at the end of the walk.

1. Mood booster
   Spending time under the sun and combining it with a simple exercise like walking is a great way to boost endorphin and serotonin levels. These hormones help fight stress and depression and improve your mood right away. Walking around the neighborhood exposes me to soothing sights and sounds from nature: Ducks feeding, birds chirping, the leaves dancing in the wind, and the sunset. Walking allows my mind to wander away from troubles and stress, do some of my creative thinking and access my creative side.