Walk longer for your life—and for feeling better while you live it

Physical therapists love when patients walk a lot. Walking is easy to access, and studies continually show that it makes life better. Take time to walk longer.

Photo: Greensboro Greenway, Adobe Stock.

I’m a runner, but before that, I was, and today, still am, an avid walker. As a PT, I believe everyone can always do more of it.

Both are good. Running burns more calories and builds endurance, but it also adds more joint impact. Walking offers steady cardiovascular gains while staying gentle on your joints.

I also include “mindful walking” as one of my “three things we should do every day.” Mindful walking deserves its own time and space, but cardiovascular walking brings benefits simply by lasting longer. Your mind can “go along for the ride,” letting you take in the scenery, plan your workday, or sort out your grocery list.

Walk longer for longevity?

A major study recently underscored this idea: the longer you walk at a stretch, the more benefits you gain. Fitness and activity trackers push us to think in terms of steps, but this study shows that longer, continuous walking periods do more for your health than lots of short bursts scattered through the day.

Both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported on the study. Take your pick for more detail.

The main finding: A longer daily walk seems to beat a lot of incidental steps—but there is no need to trek for hours on end,” writes Daniel Akst in The Wall Street Journal. “Participants who walked mainly in bouts of at least 15 minutes had an 83% lower risk of dying than those whose walks occurred in bursts of less than 5 minutes. The risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack or stroke, was 68% lower for the longer-session walkers compared with the shortest-burst walkers.”

Simar Bajaj, in The New York Times, reports: