Is Regular Walking Enough Exercise?
Lately, I’ve had multiple conversations with clients about walking. Is it enough exercise in itself? As always, my answer is “it depends” because the best exercise routine for someone heavily relies on their health history, their current ability level, and their fitness goals. And still, for the general population, my answer is no.
Only walking for exercise would be like only brushing your teeth for dental hygiene. Sure, brushing your teeth is imperative and an effective way to prevent cavities. However, only brushing your teeth without flossing daily still leaves your overall dental hygiene at risk. Flossing daily fills the gaps left by brushing alone.
Similarly, strength training twice per week fills the gaps left by walking alone. Read on to learn more about the importance of walking and how strength training not only compliments but elevates its benefits.
Walking can be a wonderful form of cardio
The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being sitting on the couch and 10 being sprinting away from a hungry lion, you want to be around a 6 or 7. You can still talk and get a few words out at a time, but a full on flowing conversation would be difficult.
Walking is the easiest form of cardio as it doesn’t require any equipment or set up, it can be done anywhere, and it’s appropriate for most ability levels. Walking for cardio is a great form of exercise to build stamina and keep the most imperative muscle in your body strong: your heart. However, the rest of your muscles need to stay strong, too. And failing to strengthen your whole body has consequences.
Walking is not efficient in maintaining muscle mass
People often relate aches and pains in their joints and back to old age, when it is often a result of strength and muscle mass loss. A pain free back, hips, and knees requires a strong core, glutes, and legs. Walking does not address strengthening these areas very well. Sure, your legs are moving when you walk, and they might even burn a bit on an incline. That’s because walking is a weight bearing exercise, and that burn is the result of bearing your own body weight. But your body is already used to moving its own weight. To get strong and stay strong, you’ve got to pick up some extra weight.
In addition to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, the American Heart Association recommends 2 strength training sessions per week, lasting anywhere between 30-60 minutes depending on your health and fitness goals. Hitting each major muscle group in your core, lower body, and back twice per week will keep them strong enough to support your spine and your joints, making you less prone to pain and injury. It will also improve your posture and keep your metabolism functioning optimally.
And that’s not even the greatest, and quite possible the most overlooked, benefit of strength training.
Strength training builds stronger bones
Strength training itself is more efficient than walking in maintaining and strengthening bone density. In the same way that applying mechanical stress to muscles encourages muscles to grow back stronger, applying mechanical stress to your bones encourages your cells to form denser bone tissue. When doing the right exercises, the spine, hips, and knees can all strengthen significantly, reducing your risk of osteoporosis and fractures, improving your posture and spinal alignment, enhancing your core stability and flexibility, and promoting better movement mechanics overall.
On top of that, strength training improves your balance, and better balance makes you less prone to falls. So think of it both as an investment and insurance all in one.
Like brushing and flossing, walking and strength training belong together. Walking keeps your heart and lungs strong, increases your stamina and energy levels, and decreases your risk of chronic disease. Strength training does all of this, too, BUT most importantly, it keeps you strong and healthy enough to keep walking and moving healthfully and injury free as you age.
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