Heart and Vascular Care
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At a Glance
Q: What are the health benefits of walking every day?
A: Walking every day can help lower blood pressure, manage blood sugar, and reduce stress. The article explores how even short walks can improve health over time.
- Walking can support weight management.
- Walking supports both physical and mental health.
- Outdoor walks may help reduce stress.
Many of us have an all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to exercise. We want to get healthier, but if we can’t spend an hour in the gym every day, we start to think there’s no point in trying.
But according to Dr. Harvey Hahn, a cardiologist, you don’t need to spend an hour in the gym to get in a good workout. You don’t even need a gym. Walking, even as little as 15 minutes a day, has been proven to boost health and increase longevity.
Just 15 minutes
A study conducted by the National Weight Control Registry, which examined people who lost at least 60 pounds and kept the weight off for five or more years, found that walking was the most common weight-loss activity.
“Walking is more than enough to keep you healthy,” Dr. Hahn says.
Observational studies have also shown that walking briskly just 15 minutes a day is enough to make you live longer. Increase the time to 45 minutes a day, and walking has been shown to improve mental health. Dr. Hahn explains that 60 minutes a day appears to be the best for weight loss.
It may seem too good to be true, but there are several reasons why walking has major health benefits.
Walking is medicine
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Walking daily is enough to lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease. It can also regulate blood sugar and prevent Type 2 Diabetes.
Stress reduction is also an essential part of living a longer, healthier life, and walking can help, especially when done outdoors.
“Just being out in nature de-stresses you, and it does lower inflammatory markers, cortisol levels, and blood pressure. All of those things get better just by being outside,” Dr. Hahn says. “So if you can take a walk outside, you’re doing a lot.”
So the next time you want to give up on exercise entirely, Dr. Hahn has one piece of advice: go on a walk.
Do you know your heart disease risk? Take our Heart Rate Quiz to find out.
Learn moreNo. Walking can be enough to support your health, and it does not require a gym or special equipment.
Research has linked 15 minutes of brisk walking a day with a longer life. Walking 45 minutes a day has been associated with mental health benefits, while 60 minutes a day appears most effective for weight loss.
Yes. In a study of people who lost significant weight and kept it off long term, walking was the most common weight-loss activity.
Daily walking can help lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, and reduce the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Yes. Spending time outdoors while walking may help reduce stress and is associated with lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers.
