6 Best Ways to Maximize Walking for Exercise

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I don’t know about all my other fellow mommies out there, but walking was the sole exercise I performed during and after my first pregnancy. At that point, I had only been into fitness for a little while, and I was fairly unfamiliar with what I could while pregnant. I have always loved hiking and walking so it was my natural go-to for exercise.

Almost 7 years ago, right after my son was born, we lived on the 3rd floor of our apartment complex, so I was daily getting some sort of walking activity from taking out the trash, running errands, etc. I began to keep my son’s jogging stroller in the car so I could simply carry him downstairs, open up the stroller, and begin walking. However, this still happened very rarely because, as other moms know, there is very little energy left in our bodies during the day for exercise because new baby and all the thing that go with that.

About 6 years ago, hubby and I bought our first house, and I had also finally reached a place where I was regularly exercising at home and/or going on daily walks. I not only noticed a difference in my energy levels throughout the day, but I also noticed I was losing weight and gaining strength. Even during the times I was solely walking for my daily exercise, there was a difference in how I felt.

How I felt physically is a no-brainer right? Getting in some intentional daily movement keeps our muscles strong and our joints flexible. We really aren’t meant to be sedentary and there is a plethora of problems that we face today because of all the sitting. For me, walking specifically makes me feel more energize and relaxed more than any other type of physical activity. It also tends to work out “kinks” I’ve got going on internally (whether they be mental or physical), and it sets me up for the rest of my day so that I’m in “conquer the world” mode!

Why Should I Walk for Exercise?

When I realized I was feeling better mentally and physically from walking, I began exercising this way more and more. Walking has been associated with aiding many mental and physical ailments. I can definitely attest to walking being beneficial for my personal fatigue or low energy levels! When my kids and I get back from a walk, my fatigue has disappeared or I at least have a better attitude about my day.

The other comparison I use is that I am rarely sore after taking a 30-60 minute walk, while I get aches and pains routinely from doing other types of workouts (although I do realize this happens when you bolster/up weights or intensity). Obviously, if you are just starting to do any kind of exercise, there may be some soreness even after walking (especially up hill or when mixing up your pace).

High intensity training circuits like Crossfit are amazing, but they can be very hard on people’s joints (my hand is raised). For this reason, many people solely use walking to exercise and it’s FREE. They don’t have to have a gym membership and really, people can walk whenever and wherever they want. All you need are some comfy clothes, a water bottle, and good walking shoes. There are also a bunch of ways to mix up walking so that it can more like a gym regiment if you want it to be–it’s that versatile!

But isn’t running better? This is a very subjective because there are diehard runners out there who would say yes, and people who hate running (like me) who would say no. The biggest thing for me with any exercise is, will I actually do it? I would much rather walk and strength train versus run so why should I force myself to do a workout I hate? If you actually want to know some science-backed information about running versus walking, check out this video from Autumn Bates.

Another big downside to running or other high impact exercise is the stress that is put on people’s joints. Age, gender, height, weight, and speed are all factors that can contribute to various joint issues due to exercise, even walking. When walking steadily on a flat surface, someone can produce 2.1 – 4.3 times their body weight of force on their hips, 3.4 on their knees, and around 5 when walking on a hill or other incline.

These numbers may seem high, but they are a far sight smaller than the pounds of force put on your joints when running or doing another high impact exercise. If joint health is a concern, this may be something to consider when deciding how you want to exercise. However, I should also point out that when you are regularly walking, there is much more fluidity and flexibility in your joints so while you may be stiff at first, motion helps us stay agile. It’s almost like we were meant to move right?

How Does Walking Keep Me Healthy?

Everyone’s health goals are different, which is why walking is such an amazing exercise tool with versatile benefits. We already know that walking raises energy levels so that alone is a bonus if you struggle with fatigue. Walking will help maintain a healthy weight and/or aid in weight loss if done correctly. And, overtime, our physical endurance and muscle strength will increase which means our overall energy levels will consistently be higher.

Consistent movement impacts a few of our systems, including the cardiovascular, lymph and digestive systems. Our heart needs movement to stay active and strong itself, lymph movement greatly impacts our immune system, and walking can aid in keeping our body’s bowel movements regular. I say again, it’s like we were designed and meant for movement!

While many physical benefits of walking are obvious, the many mental benefits are not as obvious, but they are equally as important. I know that after I take a walk, I tend to be way less stressed, some of my brain fog dissipates and my mood is more positive. Major reasons for why I feel that way is that walking (and most exercise) releases endorphins, and in the famous words of Elle Woods “Exercise releases endorphins; endorphins make people happy; and happy people just don’t kill their husbands.” Killing people aside (ha!), endorphins are powerful hormones that seriously pack a punch for mental health.

Especially when walking outside, we are exposed to negative ions in the air which improves our mental outlook. So even physics (or is it chemistry?) positively affects our mental state. These negative ions are much more concentrated deep within nature, such as in a forest or near bodies of water so bonus points for a hike or nature walk! Another big benefit of walking outside is getting vitamin D exposure from the sun, and that seems to often lift my mood!

Something else many experience during their walk is a peaceful time to think or mellow our or even dream. I can definitely say, if I’m not TOO distracted by my kids, that I definitely use our walking time to do a lot of thinking and dreaming. This helps me de-stress so much and this in turn helps my day which then impacts my sleep later. That’s a three-fold mental benefit!