Step Your Way to Wellbeing

Walking is free, low-impact and one of the easiest ways to get more active. Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.

In an age where lifestyles are increasingly sedentary, incorporating walking into your routine is a simple way to help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.

The good news is you don’t have to walk for hours. A brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits and counts towards your 150 minutes of weekly exercise, as recommended in the NHS adult physical activity guidelines.

The health benefits of increasing your step count

The impact of walking on health has been the subject of numerous studies, with many highlighting the benefits of reaching a certain number of steps each day. It is often suggested that increasing your daily step count to 10,000 steps can lead to a multitude of health benefits, and while this is catchy and motivational goal, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.

The beauty of walking is that even incremental increases in your daily step count can lead to improved health outcomes. A Harvard-based study of around 16,000 people suggests that those who walked an average of 4,400 steps per day had a 41% lower risk of dying than the least active, who walked fewer than 2,700 steps. Each additional 1,000 steps taken was associated with a further 14% decrease in mortality risk.

Another study of more than 226,000 people showed that 4,000 steps was enough to start reducing the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart disease. Compared with about 2,350 steps a day, risk fell by 16% for 4,000 steps, 49% for 6,700 steps and 67% for 10,400 steps a day. Every extra 1,000 steps beyond the 4,000 reduced the risk of dying early by 15% up to 20,000 steps.

Tips for staying motivated to walk

1. Think of ways to include walking in your daily routine. This could include walking the dog, leaving the car behind for short journeys or parking further away.
2. If you work at a desk, set a reminder to stand up and walk around for a few minutes every hour.
3. Use a fitness tracker to motivate you to increase your daily activity.
4. Arrange walking groups with friends or family. Social support can be a powerful motivator in maintaining an active lifestyle.
5. Start small. A 10-minute walk can easily build up to a 20-minute stroll in the park and finally a 30-minute walk around town.

In conclusion, stepping your way to wellbeing through walking offers a simple and effective path to improved health. Whether you're taking your first steps towards a more active life or seeking to enhance your current exercise routine, the evidence is clear: walking can significantly reduce health risks and boost longevity.