Is Walking Enough To Get Some Concrete Fitness Results?
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How many times have you heard ‘10,000 steps’?
No gym memberships, no special equipment, no instruction manual. Just a decent pair of shoes and off you go. It feels so simple and so inherently human that you almost don’t feel like it’s enough to get any results.
After all, all you’re doing is putting one foot after the other; how much can that do?
That’s a great question because we’re not talking about burning a few calories here and there. You want to know if you can expect serious results, like sustainable fat loss, a strong heart, etc.
If you want the short answer, here it is: it’s complicated.
If you don’t like that (short and vague) answer, read on.
What Walking Does For You (For Your Body)?
So, yes, walking is good for you. But what does ACTUALLY happen when you walk regularly?
Fat Loss/Metabolic Impact
If you weigh 150lbs and go for a 30-min walk, you’ll burn approx. 150 calories. This is at a regular walking pace. IF you walk faster, you’ll burn more calories, and if you walk slower, you’ll burn fewer calories.
Add hills, and you’ll burn more.
Walking burns energy and, if you consistently burn more than you eat, some of that energy will come from stored fat. However, you need to remember that walking isn’t a free pass to eat whatever you want.
If you want to burn fat through walking, you have to be consistent.
The real magic is in walking most days of the week because they all add up. If you never add hills or speed, though, your body will adapt, and the scale will stop moving.
Heart Health and Endurance Capacity
Every time you move, you improve circulation, and over time, your resting heart rate drops.
This is the foundation of heart health, and walking can deliver it.
But if you want your heart to actually build endurance, you’ll still need a pace that’s challenging for you. A casual stroll might be great for your mental health, but a brisk walk is better for your heart.
It’s not like walking will train you for a race, but if you want your heart ticking longer, that’s where walking can help.
Mobility, Joint Health, and Structural Benefits
Your joints want you to move because, if you sit all day, the fluid that lubricates your knees and hips stops circulating.
Walking gets all that moving again, which is why people who walk on a regular basis say they’re less stiff than those who don’t.
Another great thing about walking is that it forces your body to remember how to move correctly. It promotes better posture and hip extension, but as far as building muscle, walking won’t be a lot of help there. It doesn’t load your bones enough to increase density; you’ll need to lift weights for that to happen.
Walking is amazing for maintaining function, but it can’t do a lot to actually change the structure.
Mental Clarity and Stress Regulation
Now here’s where walking is an absolute superhero.
When you walk, especially if you walk outside, cortisol levels drop, which means stress drops. The rhythm of your footsteps quiets your head, and you get this overall sense that you can handle life.
What really happens is that the movement is stripping away the tension that you built up while you were sitting and overthinking.
How to Make Walking Deliver Real Fitness Results
Walking can deliver actual fitness results, but not if you treat it as this casual thing you do here and there to relax. It needs to be intentional training.
Most people get stuck on intensity.
A casual pace is great for clearing your head, but as far as the training effect goes, it’s minimal at best. It’s still better than sitting because you’re moving after all, but your heart and muscles aren’t adapting. A brisk pace is much better; if you can talk but can’t sing, that’s when the training starts. This is where your cardiovascular system starts to get stronger, and if you push this even further into power walking and engage your arms, you get a much higher calorie burn.
Incline walking is even better because it engages your glutes and hamstrings without hurting the joints.
You have to remember that, if you walk in the city, safety needs to be a part of your training plan. There are real risks involved, like distracted drivers, uneven pavement, low visibility, traffic that doesn’t stop when it should, etc.
The last thing you want to do when you go for a walk is to get hit by a car. And yet, that happens. Take a look at all the pedestrian hit-and-run cases in Chicago, where you’ve got almost 2500 reported cases, 48 of which resulted in fatalities (Illinois Department of Transportation).
This goes beyond Chicago. You can find similar stats anywhere.
Take NYC. 51 fatalities tied to hit-and-run cases just last year (New York State Department of Motor Vehicles). No one wants to become a statistic, which is the prime reason why you want to think about where you’re walking and when.
Avoid low-lit routes, avoid walking on roads, and if you do find yourself walking near a road, then make sure you wear a Hi Viz vest, at least.
Conclusion
So, can walking deliver fitness results? Yes, but not if you go on relaxing walks where your heart rate stays the same.
In order for walking to be a workout, you need to crank up the intensity. Walk on an incline, speed up, engage your arms, focus on a strong stride, and not only will you feel like you’re working out, but you’ll also see the results that come with it.
Just remember to wear sensible shoes and put your phone away at crosswalks.
Safety is (and always should be) the number one priority.
