What Walking Does For Your Health Every Day

Sometimes looking after your health really is as simple as putting your trainers on and walking out of the door. You don't need to run, join a gym or smash a complicated workout to do something good for your health.

Walking is one of those everyday activities that can be easy to overlook because it doesn't always feel like exercise.

But it is.

And when you make walking part of your everyday life, the benefits can add up in ways that support your physical health, mental wellbeing and overall quality of life.

We can make health and fitness far more complicated than it needs to be.

We talk about gym memberships, workout programmes, running plans, step targets, fitness trackers and finding an hour in the day to exercise.

But one of the most accessible forms of movement is something most of us already know how to do.

At LK Health & Wellbeing, I’m a big believer that looking after your health doesn't have to mean doing everything perfectly. It is about finding realistic things you can actually maintain, and walking is one of the simplest places to start.

Having A Dog Gives Me A Pretty Good Reason To Walk!

If you're anything like me and have a dog, then you have a rather effective piece of accountability built into your everyday life. Boda (o ur dog)needs a walk whether I feel like going or not. There isn't really much negotiation involved. If it's raining? The dog still needs walking. If I've got loads of work to do? The dog still needs walking. If I'm tired? Yep… the dog still needs walking. And actually, I think that's quite useful when it comes to our own health.

Because motivation isn't always reliable. Some days you feel like exercising.

Other days you absolutely don't. Having something, or someone, that gives you a reason to get moving can make all the difference.

And once you're out there, you generally feel better for it.

But what if you don't have a dog?

How do or can you create that same accountability for yourself?

Walking Doesn't Have To Be "Exercise"

One of the things I really want to encourage people to think about is that walking doesn't necessarily have to be another item on your already overwhelming to-do list.

It can simply become part of your day. Walk because you need some fresh air or because you've been sitting at your desk for two hours straight, maybe because you want to clear your head, manage stress or you need to make a phone call or maybe because you want to explore somewhere new. Or it could be because you want ten minutes away from the house.

It doesn't have to be a power walk in Lycra with a fitness watch or your phone tracker telling you how many calories you've burned

Movement is movement.

And those little bits of movement throughout the day can add up.

Walking Is More Than Just Getting Your Steps In

We often hear about the importance of hitting 10,000 steps a day, but your health isn't determined by whether you reach a particular number on your fitness tracker.

There is no magic number that suddenly makes walking worthwhile.

The important thing is moving more and sitting less, particularly if much of your day is spent at a desk, driving or sitting at home and very sedentary.

A short walk counts, walking to the shops counts or as I have said above walking the dog counts, walking around the garden counts, thats one of my go tos if working from home most of the day. Taking the stairs, walking during your lunch break or parking a little further away all contribute to your overall movement. And if you currently do very little activity, increasing your walking gradually can make a realmeaningful difference.

So How Does Walking Support Your Health

Cardiovascular Health

Regular physical activity, including brisk walking, can help support cardiovascular health.

Walking gets your heart working a little harder, increases circulation and, when done regularly, can contribute to maintaining healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

You don't necessarily need a high-intensity workout to get your body moving. A brisk 20–30 minute walk can be a very useful addition to your week, and you can build up gradually if you're not used to it. Think consistency rather than intensity.

Walking Can Help Regulate Blood Sugar

Walking can also be particularly useful for metabolic health. When your muscles are working, they use glucose for energy. This means that getting moving, including after meals, can help your body manage blood glucose. You don't need to go for a long hike.

Even a short walk after eating can be a simple way of adding movement into your day.

This is one reason I often encourage people to think about movement as part of everyday health, rather than something that only happens during a formal workout.

For people concerned about type 2 diabetes or their metabolic health, regular physical activity is an important part of the bigger picture alongside nutrition, sleep, stress management and other lifestyle factors.

Looking after your metabolic health matters for women at every stage of life in particular too. This is because our health as a Woman changes throughout our lives. Our hormones, body composition, muscle mass, sleep, stress levels and metabolism can all change, particularly during perimenopause and menopause. And this is an area I talk about regularly through LK Health & Wellbeing. During midlife, many women notice changes in where they carry weight, their energy levels, sleep, mood and how their body responds to food and exercise. During this time it's very easy to think:

"I'm doing exactly what I've always done — so why does my body suddenly feel different?"

There isn't one simple answer.

But lifestyle factors such as movement, nutrition, sleep, stress management and maintaining muscle all form part of the bigger picture. And walking can be one of the easiest ways to increase your everyday movement without making exercise feel like another job.

Walking isn't the whole answer

This is important.

I'm not suggesting that walking alone will solve metabolic health, menopause symptoms or every health concern a woman may experience. Because it won't.

Us as women are individuals, and our health is influenced by far more than one behaviour. But walking can be a really useful piece of the puzzle. Ideally, it sits alongside other forms of movement, particularly resistance stregngth training and also building in nourishing food, adequate protein and fibre, good sleep, stress management and appropriate health guidance when needed.

Walking Supports Your Muscles And Bones

Walking is weight-bearing exercise, which means your body is working against gravity as you move. Regular movement helps you maintain strength and physical function as you get older. This becomes particularly important during midlife and beyond.

As we age, maintaining muscle, strength, balance and mobility becomes increasingly important for independence and quality of life.

Walking alone isn't a complete strength-training programme, resistance exercise has an important role too, but it is a fantastic foundation for keeping your body moving.

And if you add some hills, varied terrain or a slightly faster pace or intervals of varying paces, you can increase the physical challenge without needing a gym.

Walking Can Support Your Mental Wellbeing

This is one of my favourite benefits. Sometimes when we're stressed, overwhelmed or stuck in our own heads, getting outside and walking can change how we feel. There is something about stepping away from your desk, leaving the house and changing your environment that can help create some mental space. Walking outdoors also gives you the opportunity to get some daylight, fresh air and a change of scenery.

For me, this is one of the reasons I love being outside. It doesn't have to be a "workout."

Sometimes it can simply be time to think, breathe and reset.

And if you walk with someone else, it can become social time too, a walk with a friend can be a catch-up, a walk with your partner can be time together without phones and distractions, a family walk can get everyone moving.

Your walk can be exercise, social connection and headspace all at the same time.

Walking Can Help You Sleep

Regular physical activity is associated with better sleep for many people. Walking can help you use some physical energy during the day while also providing an opportunity to decompress from work and everyday stresses. A daytime walk can also expose you to natural daylight, which is important for supporting your body's sleep-wake rhythm, circadian rhythm. And sometimes the best thing you can do when you've spent hours staring at a screen is simply step outside.

Walking Can Support Healthy Weight Management

Walking uses energy. Of course, weight and body composition are influenced by many different factors, including nutrition, hormones, sleep, stress, muscle mass, medications and overall activity, so walking shouldn't be viewed as a quick fix for weight loss, I don't honestly think there is such a thing in managing our health and wellbeing that is a quick fix. But it can contribute to your overall energy expenditure and, importantly, it is something many people can sustain over the long term. That's what I like about walking. It doesn't have to be extreme, you don't have to punish yourself for what you ate, you don't have to spend an hour on a treadmill. You can simply move your body because you value your health.

Walking Gives You A Reason To Get Outside

There is also a lifestyle benefit to walking that can easily be forgotten. Walking gets you out of the house, it can take you to the beach, through the woods, around your local area or simply around the block and connect with nature. Living in North Devon, I'm lucky to have some incredible places on my doorstep, and getting outside has always been something I value and this is where health and life connect. For me, health isn't just about what's on your plate or how many times you exercise each week.

It's about having the energy and physical ability to live your life and do what you love. To travel, to explore, to go on adventures. to walk along a beach, to climb a hill and enjoy the view, to keep doing the things you love as you get older.

You Don't Need 10,000 Steps

If you're currently thinking, "But I don't have time to walk 10,000 steps every day," take the pressure off. You don't have to. Start with where you are.

Perhaps you currently average 3,000 steps, could you increase that to 4,000?

Could you take a 10-minute walk at lunchtime? Could you walk while making a phone call?

Could you get off the bus one stop earlier? Could you walk to the local shop instead of driving? Could you take the kids or dog out for 20 minutes after dinner?

Small changes repeated regularly can become habits. And those habits can become part of your lifestyle.

My Simple Walking Challenge For You

If walking isn't currently part of your routine, try this for the next seven days:

Every day, go for a 10-minute walk.

That's it. Don't worry about your pace. Don't worry about your step count.

Don't worry about burning calories. Just get outside and move.

If you already walk regularly, perhaps challenge yourself to add another 10 minutes, introduce some hills or increase your pace for part of the walk.

And notice how you feel. Not just physically.Notice your mood, your energy, your stress levels, sleep, your motivation across the day. Because sometimes the best measure of whether something is good for us isn't a number on a screen. It's how we feel.

Progress Over Perfection

This is something I come back to again and again through my work at LK Health & Wellbeing. You don't need a perfect health routine and you certainly don't need to overhaul your entire lifestyle on Monday morning and you don't need to suddenly eat perfectly, exercise every day and eliminate every "bad" habit. These are just not realistic for anyone.

So start with something achievable and build from there.

The good thing is that walking is accessible, inexpensive and adaptable to different ages and abilities. You can walk alone, with friends, with your family or while listening to a podcast or even learn a language as a few clients do. You can walk for fitness, or for your mental health, or just because you enjoy being outdoors or maybe because you need to walk from A to B.

Whatever your reason, it all counts, and perhaps that's the biggest lesson:

Health isn't created by one big decision, It's built through the small things we do repeatedly to build new habits and behaviours.

So today, put your shoes on, open the door and go for that walk.

Your body will thank you for it.

Looking for more practical support with your health?

At LK Health & Wellbeing, I help women understand and improve their health through practical, evidence-informed support covering nutrition, women's health, menopause, physical activity and lifestyle. Whether you're looking to improve your everyday wellbeing, manage changes through midlife, understand your nutrition or simply feel more confident about looking after yourself, the aim is always the same:

Progress over perfection.

Because looking after your health should help you live your life, not take it over.

Find out more about LK Health & Wellbeing and the support available at www.lkhealthandwellbeing.com.