Fri. Mar 17th, 2023
What Walking Every Day Does to Your Body, Expert Reveals — Eat This Not That
What Walking Every Day Does to Your Body, Expert Reveals — Eat This Not That

Walking is one of the simplest things you can do for yourself. You don’t need gym equipment in order to do it, it’s something you can easily fit into your schedule, you can walk alone, or you can go at your own pace. What is the best part? You can check out new neighborhoods within and outside of your community by taking some healthy strides. The benefits of walking every day are endless, and getting in regular cardio is a great way to keep a consistent routine.

mature man walking his dog in the fall
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The Director of Medical Content & Education at Ro was reached out to by Eat This, Not That! to discuss why it’s so healthy to get in steps every day. Walking is good for cardiovascular health, it can help maintain muscle mass and bone mineral density in your legs and core, it burns calories, and it can help with balance.

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two friends walking every day
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Aerobic exercise for 150 minutes a week at a moderately intense level is recommended by the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. If you walk for 2 12 hours a week, you can burn up to 723 calories.

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close-up sneakers walking, demonstrating fitness mistakes at 40
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Being aware of your own fitness and health boundaries is the only negative thing you can be aware of when walking daily. “If you tend to drag your feet, walk somewhere with a smooth surface, like a paved road.” If you have trouble with balance, a friend can help. If you have a chronic disease that causes pain, make sure you don’t push yourself past your limits.

It’s easy to get in some healthy cardio around your block, on a walking trail, or wherever you want to do it. It’s easy to sneak in extra steps while doing things. You can either park at the far end of the parking lot or at the steps. “One last thing to keep in mind is to use comfortable walking shoes to make sure you aren’t walking long distances with an abnormal posture or getting blisters on your feet,” Dr. Bohl says.

mature couple power walking
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You can raise the bar on your walks by taking additional steps. If you want to go faster, you can speed up your pace and bring it down to the speed you usually achieve. Varying your pace can make the walk more interesting and will help you burn more calories.

You can make your walk more effective by choosing an area with hills so you don’t limit your exercise to a flat course. “Spend some of the walk going uphill and some of the walk going downhill.”

It’s important to include stairs whenever possible, as it’s an excellent workout to strengthen your muscles. Swinging both arms back and forth in exaggerated fashion is a way to burn some extra calories. You should take your fitness to the max because you’re walking anyways.