TrailWalker

May 24, 2005

Walking Helps Your Health

Do not be surprised if in the near future, your physician’s initial response to your high cholesterol will be “Take a daily walk for 30 minutes”, and not “take a daily cholesterol lowering statin pill.” Walking is becoming recognized as a valuable form of exercise with important health benefits, and, one in which almost everyone can participate. No special equipment or personal trainer required!


The benefits of walking regularly are not only helpful in improving one’s physical health. A recent report in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society notes that regular walking can improve the symptoms of a clinical depression and decrease a sense of fatigue. Another study, published in a medical journal which focuses on issues related to sports and exercise document that people who walk regularly, about 30 minutes five times a week, report an increased feeling of self-confidence, while those people who describe themselves as never walking regularly report feeling “unhealthy” and lacking energy.

Measuring the physical benefits of walking regularly, however, is easier to document. Blood tests before and after a period of walking, hiking or running, will reveal if important markers like cholesterol or triglycerides have improved.

Don’t Stop Walking

One such landmark study was performed by Duke University. Called the Studies of Targeted Risk Reduction, or STRRIDE, the researchers wanted to know what happened to the health of walkers and runners if they quit all physical activity. They created three groups of volunteers. One group of people exercised the equivalent of jogging 20 miles each week. The intermediate group of participants exercised the equivalent of jogging 12 miles per week, while the least vigorous group included walkers who exercised the equivalent of walking12 miles per week at a brisk pace.

The good news is that regardless of activity level, each participant in the study benefited from a decrease in their level of tryglycerides and an increase in the level of  HDL, the ‘good’ cholesterol and a decrease in body fat mass.Two weeks after the participants ceased all exercise, however, only people in the most vigorous exercise group maintained any benefit of improved cholesterol.

Thirty minutes a Day

While experts agree that when it comes to exercise and health, more is better, the genuinely busy but health conscious person need not despair. Walking briskly at least 30 minutes a day five times a week is the suggested minimum. However, the benefits of exercise are also cumulative. So, three ten minute walks in the course of a day will also improve health.

One tool now popularly used to encourage people to walk more is the pedometer. This device usually clips to a belt or waistband of pants and counts steps taken during the day. A pedometer can help someone understand that perhaps he or she is indeed more active than they realize. At the same time, knowing that every step is being counted may encourage someone to walk more than planned by parking at the end of a parking lot.

Ten Thousand Steps

Many exercise experts advocate walking at least 10,000 steps a day. Estimating that an average step spans about two feet, 10,000 steps are just under four miles. The goal of 10000 steps originated many years ago as a marketing tool for a Japanese company. Therefore it is only a rough guideline. The Journal Sports Medicine suggested a tiered system in which someone walking less than 5000 steps a day would be considered sedentary. Someone walking more than 10000 steps a day would be considered active, while someone logging more than 12500 steps a day would be considered highly active.

Keep Your Mind Sharp, Too

Another landmark study published by the Harvard School of Public Health recorded the results of over 18,000 women between the ages of 70-81 years old who walked either only 40 minutes a week or 90 minutes a week. This study, however, was interested in evaluating how walking affected mental acuity and cognition. Nurses queried participants over the telephone throughout the study, asking questions that would test memory, recall and attention. Once again, the women who walked more demonstrated better cognitive function and, as important, less mental decline over the period of the study.

The evidence regarding the health benefits of walking are clear: improved cardiovascular health, a boost for brain function and uplifting to the spirit. With a pedometer or without one, taking one long walk a day or several shorter ones, each person can be assured that they are contributing to their overall health. Of course, walking briskly will confer more benefit than strolling lazily and the benefits of a longer and vigorous hike will be greater than those of a short walk.

Howard E. Friedman