The Health Benefits of a Daily Walk, and How to Make the Most of It
Walking every day is a low-cost, high-impact way to stay healthy. Get a good pair of shoes, comfortable clothes, and ideally, a walking partner. You don’t necessarily need a pedometer or health monitoring device on your wrist or finger. Here are some tips to help you make the most out of every walk.
How you walk is more important than how long you walk
You don’t need to walk 10,000 steps a day to get an effective work out. That number was randomly picked by a company that invented the first pedometer. If you are intentional about your walk, about half that number can be really beneficial.
How far you should walk
Aim for at least two good walks a day, each about one mile in length.
Depending on your height, one mile is between 2,000-2,500 steps.
Based on your health and fitness goals, walking more than two miles per day is a great way to stay in shape. There are also different theories of interval walking techniques you may wish to explore.
How to maximize your daily walks
At the beginning of each watch, start the timer on your phone.
Based on your age and fitness level from 18-80, adjust your pace so that you complete the mile between 14 and 30 minutes.
Walk briskly with your shoulders back, head looking up, with good posture using your abs. Swing your arms back and forth naturally. Breathe through your nose only. Do not look at your phone!
Why walking speed matters
“Walking speed can be a great window into how your body systems are working together,” sports physical therapist Kimberly Melvan, DPT, CSCS, owner of RunCoachPT, told Health Magazine in this great article about walking. The article goes on to say, ““A brisker walking pace might hint at a longer life, too: According to a 2024 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, people who walked the fastest were 43% less likely to die of any cause during follow-up than those in the slowest-walking group.”
When to walk
There’s research that shows benefits to walking first thing in the morning and there’s also research that supports the health benefit of walking later in the day. It really doesn’t matter when you walk. What does matter is that you commit to doing it twice a day, every day.
Where to walk
There is a lot of research that supports the theory that walking in nature is really good for you. Looking at trees, hearing birds, seeing grass vs. concrete, all have a calming effect. Look for routes that include trees or consider some of the many nature trails around metro Detroit. There are so many of them – just do a quick search for “nature trail near me” and find a spot.
Find a walking partner
Walking and talking. Helping each other keep up the pace. Helping each other stay on schedule. These are all great reasons to find a walking partner. And depending on the type of dog you have (and that dog’s desire to sniff everything) a dog may or may not be a good walking partner.
Long term health benefits of daily walking
In short, walking daily does a lot of really good things for your body and your mind. Adding a bit of intensity to your walk, and walking intentionally, rather than casually, provides big benefits to your overall fitness. Here are a couple of excellent articles about the benefits of walking from Harvard Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
