Walk Your Way to Better Health

Did you know that you don’t actually have to walk 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy. But, daily walks are still good for you and can help you live longer.

So, where did that 10,000-step myth come from? A Japanese marketing campaign for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics! The number was chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 looks like a stylized drawing of a person walking. Since then, people all over the world have tried to meet a goal that is time consuming and, for some walkers, unattainable.

Now, let’s get real. Studies have shown that regular walking really can help you live longer. The National Institutes of Health combined data from 15 studies involving 47,471 adults, concluding that the risk of death over a seven-year span dropped significantly as step counts rose. Another study followed a group of mobile seniors for a decade and found that those who walked outdoors four times a week for at least 15 minutes had a 47% lower mortality risk than those who walked less often.

Health Benefits of Walking

Regular walks don’t just help you live longer – they enhance your quality of life and help you stay well. Read on to learn about the whole-body benefits of regular hikes, strolls, and even daily dog walks.

Reduce Body Fat and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Regular walking burns calories and can help you lose weight over time.

Prevent Disease and Manage Chronic Conditions

Studies have shown that walking can reduce your risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, GERD, and major depressive disorder (MDD). Walking is recommended by the American Diabetes Association as a tool to help lower your blood sugar levels and your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Improve Cardiovascular Fitness

Regular walking supports heart health by lowering blood pressure. A famous study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people who walked enough to meet physical activity guidelines (150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week) had a 30% lower risk of heart attack or stroke compared to those with a more sedentary lifestyle.

Strengthen Your Bones

Walking helps maintain strong, healthy bones in your legs, hips, and lower spine, reducing your risk for bone loss later in life.

Improve Muscle Strength and Endurance

Walking gradually builds strength and endurance by engaging the muscles in your legs, glutes, core, and even your arms and shoulders if you walk fast and swing your arms. Your body weight provides natural resistance. Walking also has a positive effect on your posture, balance, and proprioception (your awareness of your own body in space).

Improve Brain Function

Published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, a meta-analysis of research involving 1,286 adults aged 55 and older found that regular walking improved cognition, processing speed, working memory, declarative memory, and executive functioning. A 2023 study published in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports found that older adults who walked on a treadmill four times per week for 12 weeks showed significant improvements in brain network connectivity and story recall abilities.

Improve Your Mood

Research shows that as few as 10 minutes of walking can lift your spirits, especially if you walk in a natural setting and get a little sun. This is especially helpful if you are prone to seasonal depression.

Strengthen Immune System

Walking and other forms of moderate intensity exercise strengthen the immune system. If you do get sick, research has found that people who walk more spend less time in the hospital.

Reduce Stress and Tension

Walking activates the parasympathetic nervous system, stabilizes serotonin and dopamine levels, and promotes relaxation by suppressing the stress hormone cortisol. Studies show that even a 10-minute brisk walk helps with stress, especially if you are walking in nature as opposed to an urban environment.

Alleviate Joint Pain

It may seem counterintuitive, but walking helps reduce arthritis pain by increasing blood flow and strengthening the muscles around your joints. A 2019 study of 1,564 adults aged 49 and over with lower body joint pain found that those who walked at least an hour a week were more likely to remain disability free four years later.

Prevent Varicose Veins

Walking strengthens leg muscle, which boosts healthy blood flow. It can delay the onset of spider and varicose veins. It you have already have varicose veins, it can ease some of the swelling in your legs.

Get More “Regular”

A daily walking routine encourages movement in the GI system so you can move your bowels more regularly.

Boost Your Energy

Because walking raises your heart rate, it speeds up circulation, sending more nutrients and oxygen to your muscles and brain. Walking also increases the number and efficiency of mitochondria, the body’s "energy factories."

Sleep More Soundly

Physical activity increases the effects of the sleep hormone melatonin. Walking also helps with stress, which can keep you awake at night.

Enhance Your Technique

The faster and farther you walk, the more you get out of your workout. To up your calorie burn, tackle some hills and increase your speed for brief intervals. Try warming up for a few minutes and then alternating between one minute of brisk or moderate walking and one of speed walking as fast as you can go. Wear a tracker so you can track your distance, time, heart rate, and calories. If you walk the same route every day, challenge yourself to do it in a shorter amount of time from one day to the next.

Sneak In More Steps

To sneak in more steps during everyday activities, try some of the tricks below:

• Unload your groceries one or two bags at a time so you can take a few extra steps going back and forth to your car (and avoid hurting your back or shoulders carrying something too heavy).
• Don’t use escalators, elevators, or moving walkways – take your feet!
• Walk around your home or office when you’re on the phone.
• Pick a parking space that will require that you walk a bit to get to your destination.
• Walk down every aisle at the grocery store rather than skipping the ones where you don’t need anything.
• If you’re in front of the TV or your computer, get up and move every 30 minutes.

This article first appeared in the September 2025 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.