Key Takeaways
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A daily 30-minute walk supports heart health, improves endurance, lubricates joints, and helps regulate blood sugar.
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Walks can boost mood, reduce anxiety and fatigue, and even help manage chronic pain.
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Consistency matters most—brisk, uninterrupted walks (and making it social or routine) maximize the benefits.
Walking is one of the best things you can do for overall health. You don’t even need to walk for hours (and hours) to reap the benefits. Just 30 minutes of walking every day—or nearly every day—can support your long-term wellness.
But what if you’re already doing other workouts, like strength training? It’s still worth walking daily, experts say. “Walking adds to your total daily movements without interfering with harder training,” says kinesiology professor Anne Brady, PhD. “It keeps blood flowing, which can actually support recovery between intense workouts, and it helps counter all the sitting most of us do.” With that in mind, you might wonder what a 30-minute daily walking practice can do for the body. To find out, we tapped health professionals to share the effects, plus how to get the most out of it.
What Happens When You Walk 30 Minutes Every Day
Here’s what you can expect from walking for half an hour each day.
You’ll strengthen your cardiovascular system.
“Walking for 30 minutes gives your heart and blood vessels consistent, moderate work that improves circulation and vascular health over time,” Dr. Brady says. Most notably, it can improve resting blood pressure and heart efficiency without the stress that comes with more intense exercise. “This is one reason walking works well for people at almost any fitness level or age,” she adds.
You’ll build physical endurance.
Another perk of walking 30 minutes per day? It can improve your physical endurance. This is when your heart and lungs become more efficient at supplying energy to your working muscles by using oxygen for fuel, says exercise physiologist Tamara Hew-Butler, DPM, PhD, FACSM. Essentially, modest aerobic activity (like walking) can stimulate the growth of mitochondria, or the “powerhouses” of cells, Dr. Hew-Butler says. In turn, muscle tissues become more effective at using fat and oxygen for fuel, thereby making physical activity easier.
You’ll lubricate your joints.
Gentle physical activity, such as walking, is a key part of promoting joint health. “When you walk, synovial fluid moves through your joints, keeping them lubricated and less stiff,” Dr. Brady says. And since walking is low impact, you’ll be able to support your joint health and connective tissue without the pounding that comes with running or jumping, she notes. “As we age, maintaining [this] mobility becomes critical for staying independent and active,” Dr. Brady adds.
You’ll help manage chronic pain.
“Ongoing pain is most often related to joint, muscle, and soft tissue stiffness and inflammation,” says primary care physician Jonathan Lee, MD. However, daily walking can help keep these structures loose and relaxed, thereby reducing chronic pain, Dr. Lee says.
Your blood sugar will improve.
“Walking makes your muscles better at taking up glucose from your bloodstream, which means better insulin sensitivity and more stable blood sugar throughout the day,” Dr. Brady says. (This is particularly helpful if you’re sedentary or sitting a lot, she adds.) Over time, these effects can help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
And if you already have type 2 diabetes? “Walking is an excellent way to lower elevated blood sugar levels,” Dr. Hew-Butler says. That’s because it stimulates working muscle tissue to transport glucose directly into the muscle cells, ultimately reducing its reliance on medications to do the job.
You’ll boost your mood.
According to Dr. Hew-Butler, research has found that exercise (such as walking 30 minutes per day) reduces anxiety and depression. Basically, physical activity increases the brain’s production of mood-related neurotransmitters, including endorphins (the “feel-good” chemical) and serotonin. It also regulates cortisol, the stress hormone, potentially helping you feel better overall.
You’ll reduce chronic fatigue.
Too tired to exercise? Know that regular daily activity over time will increase your endurance (as mentioned earlier) and stamina, according to Dr. Lee. In other words, exercise is what will give you energy to begin with! “If done consistently and long enough, it will eventually make you feel more energized to the point where you may feel lethargic if you miss your regular routine exercise,” Dr. Lee says.
How to Get the Most Benefits From Walking
“Any walking can be beneficial, but it’s best to do uninterrupted walking for at least 30 minutes,” Dr. Lee says. The ideal pace can also vary, but over time, you’ll get more benefits the faster you walk.
To start, aim for a pace where you can talk in short sentences (about three to five words), Dr. Lee suggests. This way, you can chat with a walking partner, if you prefer. If you can speak long sentences or sing while you’re walking, you can probably increase your pace, Dr. Lee says.
Ways to Have More Fun Walking
OK, so you’re ready to walk daily—or at the very least, more often. How do you stay motivated to do it regularly?
According to all three experts we interviewed, walking with other people is the way to go. This approach can boost motivation while providing encouragement and support, Dr. Lee says. “Plus, socializing while walking helps you stay connected and can help combat feelings of isolation and loneliness,” he adds.
Dr. Hew-Butler also recommends finding interesting walking routes. You can also make walking part of things you’re already doing (like drinking coffee or eating lunch), a technique known as habit stacking. “When it’s woven into your day rather than feeling like another task, it becomes much easier to maintain,” Dr. Brady says.
Things to Consider
If you have chronic medical conditions (such as heart disease or cancer) or pre-existing injuries, check in with your doc before starting a walking routine, Dr. Hew-Butler suggests. Similarly, if you have balance problems, joint issues, or a history of falls, you’ll want to be more careful when walking, Dr. Brady says.
Read the original article on Real Simple