Walking As Exercise?

I hate going to the gym. 

Don't get me wrong; I practice what I preach, which is moderate, regular exercise most days of the week.  My exercise of choice is walking.  While over the years, I have been, at various times, a regular at the gym, a jogger, a cyclist, and a fan of step aerobics, for most of the past decade I have found walking to be my favorite form of regular physical activity.  I have always been a walker.  I have many fond memories of taking walks with my mother from childhood on up.  My bridal shower was a nature walk along the cliffs above the beautiful and rugged Rhode Island coastline.  During my pregnancies, walking kept me feeling fit and relaxed.  During my maternity leaves, walking while pushing my babies in the stroller, either up and down the crazily hilly streets of San Francisco, or less vigorously along the San Francisco Bay with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, was my favorite way of getting back into shape and getting out into the world. 

The beauty of walking is that it is accessible nearly everyone.  Walking allows you to get out into nature, to breathe fresh air, and to gain the clarity of mind that comes with solitude.  All of these features are the opposite of most gyms, which in my experience are usually crowded, smelly, completely separate from nature, and simply unnatural.  If necessary, I will get on a machine, but it seems almost perverse to me that I should have to use a lot of technology and fuel-- drive to the gym, get on an electric-powered machine, and do a monotonous routine set by a timer-- instead of just getting my shoes on and heading out the door.  Walking is free, environmentally friendly, and requires no prep time, a bonus for anyone who feels that they "don't have time to exercise."  For me, a quick 30 minute walk starts my day off right, and in the evening can erase all the tension of a difficult commute or a challenging day at work.

Is walking enough? The good news for those of you out there who are sedentary/don't get any exercise, is that the biggest health benefits come to you when you begin moderate activity after being sedentary.  If you are already active, you might need to kick up the intensity a bit to increase your health benefits.

Here are the benefits of walking (or other moderate exercise*):

-You will sleep better.

-Your will increase your life expectancy.

-You will lower your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer.

-You will get sick less often, because your immune system will be stronger.

-Your mental health will improve; you will have a lower risk of depression and anxiety. 

(In Buddhism, there is a form of meditation called walking meditation which is just what is sounds like, meditating while walking. This is exercise more for the mind and soul than for your metabolism, as this type of walking is intended to be done slowly, more of a meander to clear your mind.)

-You can keep your weight under control.

-You will strenghten your bones and be at lower risk for osteoporosis.

-As you age, you will have better balance and flexibility and be at lower risk for falls.

-Exercise may even prevent dementia and make you smarter, according to some recent studies.

Studies have shown evidence for all these benefits.  Anecdotally, I see the benefits of regular physical activity every day in my office: my 60 year old patients who have always maintained a moderately active lifestyle look easily a decade younger than those who do not exercise.

Your exercise prescription:

-at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity 5 days per week OR 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity 3 days per week (Healthy People 2010 Initiative).

-muscle strengthening activities which involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week give added benefit.

While some people want to calculate a target heart rate, for people intiating a program of moderate exercise, I prefer to keep things simple: your workout is hard enough if you start to get a little breathless, break a sweat, or feel a little tired.

Most of you can start a gentle exercise routine and gradually increase the duration and intensity.  However, if you have diabetes or heart disease, you should talk to your doctor about whether you need a medical evaluation before beginning a new  exercise program.

*Other forms of moderate physical activity: washing a car or windows for 45-60 minutes, playing volleyball or touch football for 45 minutes, gardening for 30-45 minutes, dancing fast for 30 monutes, pushing a stroller 1.5 miles in 30 minutes, water aerobics for 30 minutes, swimming laps for 20 minutes, jumping rope for 15 minutes, stairwalking for 15 minutes.