Is walking enough exercise?

What do the guidelines say?

The World Health Organization recommends that adults do 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week (or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity), plus muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days [1]. Older adults are also advised to include activities that challenge balance.

Brisk walking is moderate-intensity activity, so it can cover the whole aerobic recommendation on its own [1]. The guidelines also make clear that doing less than this is still beneficial: some activity is better than none.

What does walking do well?

Regular walking improves fitness and is linked with better heart health. Trials of walking programmes have found improvements in aerobic fitness, blood pressure, body weight and waist size [3]. Walking is also low-risk, needs no equipment and is easy to fit into the day.

The number of steps people take each day is linked with a lower risk of early death, with benefits rising as steps increase before levelling off — at around 6,000–8,000 steps a day for adults over 60 and 8,000–10,000 for younger adults [2].

What doesn’t walking cover?

Walking does relatively little to build muscle strength. Strength matters for everyday tasks — getting up from a chair, carrying shopping, climbing stairs — and, with age, for staying independent and avoiding falls. That’s why the guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days a week in addition to aerobic activity [1].

For older adults, walking also does less for balance than activities designed to challenge it, such as tai chi or specific balance exercises.

How can you get more out of walking?

• Walk briskly for at least part of the time — fast enough that you can talk but not sing.
• Add hills or stairs once a steady pace feels comfortable.
• Try intervals: a few minutes brisk, a few minutes easy, repeated.
• Add two short strength sessions a week: sit-to-stands from a chair, wall push-ups, heel raises and step-ups are a good start and need no equipment.