The Effects of Walking on Your Health

I’ve recently been getting up early to go for walks before 12 weeks of live coaching calls with our Stronger participants and to beat the 110 degree heat streak we’ve had in Phoenix. Many days I’m enjoying music in my ears. But others, I hear the faint memories of my mother beside me, and imagine walking up the uneven maple-lined sidewalks toward the Methodist church that summer of ‘82. 

Had it not been for what started as the vanity of a young girl 41 years ago and the good company of my mother I might not be here doing this podcast today. 

I hear her footsteps and breath and see the way she would swing her arms. I was aware even then that walking and being comfortable not talking, not having to fill space, was the sign of a good walking partner. We worked our way up to a mile and a half regularly that summer. By the time college rolled around that fall I was a runner. 

The effects of walking on your health are pretty incredible. This simple, economical, accessible way to move more, or take it further and exercise, make fitness and health a reasonable goal for everyone.

What is Walking?

Let’s define physical activity and exercise before we go on. 

Physical activity: movement at a leisurely pace for enjoyment of sports or performance of daily activities of life. 

Exercise: intentional movement for the purpose of improving fitness by use of planned intensity, duration, and or resistance. 

Walking, then, can be either physical activity (walking a dog, to the mailbox or strolling in a museum) or exercise (going for a walk, brisk walking, walking for a time, hiking the Grand Canyon). 

What you believe about these habits is more important than doing the habits. 

Power of your intention (meditation, Dr. Joe Dispenza’s work) 

Fixed or growth mindset (Dr. Carol Dweck) 

Effects of Walking 30 Minutes a Day (and less)

• 30 minutes walking a day Reduces type 2 diabetes by 30% 
• 30 minutes walking daily reduces dementia risk by 62% 
• 25 mins of brisk walking adds 7 years of life 
• 11 minutes a day adds 2 more years of life

Moving 2-5 minutes several times a day breaking up sedentary time reduces blood glucose levels after meals by 17% 

Walking 15 minutes within 30-60 minutes after each meal has a more significant impact on blood sugar than 45 minutes continuous walking am or afternoon.

Brisk walking after meals has a more significant positive effect on glucose of type 2 diabetic women than normal pace walking. 

Not able to log in walking miles or minutes but doing a lot of movement during the day? 

You can still win with steps! This kind of low level movement is N.E.A.T., for non-exercise-activity-time or t= thermogenesis) depending on the school you attended! 8000 steps per day increased testosterone

Even over 4000 steps every additional 1000 significantly increases testosterone and increases lipolysis (otherwise strength training is greatest way to do this) 

 

The dose-response curve isn't linear, with the greatest reduction in mortality seen at the beginning of the curve (going from