Walking and Heart Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. The good news is that you can take steps to ward off heart disease, one of the most effective being walking. Read this article for more information surrounding how walking helps protect against heart disease.

Benefits of walking

Often, when people are considering beginning or restarting an exercise regimen, walking gets overlooked or sloughed off as being “not enough.” This isn’t necessarily true. Regular walking is extremely effective when it comes to consistent movement that promotes optimization of your health and well-being and helps protect against heart disease.

Walking aids the body in many physiological functions that are heart-protective. First, it helps individuals to manage energy and blood sugar levels. Meaning, walking can work the same way that insulin works in the body, helping to bring blood sugar levels back down into an optimum range post meals and snacks. While this is helpful for all people regardless of health status, this could be especially helpful for people living with diabetes who are actively working to improve their blood sugar levels.

Next, walking can aid in managing stress levels, especially if completed under the right circumstances for an individual. For example, if being outside in fresh air helps you to de-stress, choosing an outdoor walking path that you can access regularly may help you to achieve your activity goals while also improving stress levels. Because chronic stress can negatively affect heart health, this is very important for those living with heart disease.

How to walk to improve heart health

If you have considered beginning a walking routine, many people can get confused about how long, how often, and/or how fast they need to walk to reap the benefits. Not to worry, starting small is still an effective jumping-off point. If all you can manage is 10 minutes of walking at a time, try to go for 10-minute walks 3 times per day, breaking up the walks throughout the day. Over time, as stamina and endurance improve, you may find that you can increase the duration to 15, 20, or even 30 minutes at a time.

If you consider yourself to be in good cardiovascular shape, setting a goal to walk for around 150 minutes each week as a minimum is great for optimizing heart health. If you break this down into a daily goal, this comes out to just 20 minutes daily. For most people, exceeding 150 minutes weekly of dedicated walking time can be accomplished, especially when committing to a daily movement goal that includes walking.

Next, you may be wondering if it matters if you walk fast or slow. The answer is a bit nuanced. Similarly to the duration of walking, it is effective to start and continue walking, even if you are doing it at a slow pace. Over time, as endurance and stamina improve, trying to achieve a brisker walking pace is preferable.

On average, any pace above 3 miles per hour is considered brisk; however, don’t let speed deter you from beginning. Making progress that is “slow and steady” can also “win the race.” Walking is considered brisk if you can still hold a conversation and are not out of breath.

Tips to get started walking

If you feel intimidated about beginning a new walking routine, use some of these tips to help you get started and begin to prioritize your heart health:

• Find a friend: Finding a friend who is in a similar life stage as you, has similar goals, and/or is just great company, is a great starting point. Often when starting new routines, it can be more difficult to complete these new routines alone. Having an accountability buddy will make it more likely that you can show up consistently for yourself and your friend.
• Get the right attire: When beginning a new routine, set yourself up for success with the right clothing and shoes. Comfort is key, so invest in some walking shoes and comfortable walking clothes.
• Set a day/time to begin: Take the leap and schedule your daily walks into your calendar. Making an “appointment” with yourself is another step for aiding in accountability.

When it comes to walking and warding off heart disease, the research is evident that there is a direct, positive correlation between the two. So, what are you waiting for? Start getting those steps in for your heart health!

Jordan Stachel holds a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from The University of Southern California and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She has several years of experience helping clients reach their health goals through her clinical work within private practice. Jordan is most fulfilled when guiding others towards making stepwise, sustainable changes that add up to big results over time. Jordan works with a wide variety of individuals, ranging in age from children through the elderly, with an assortment of concerns and clinical conditions. She helps individuals optimize overall health and/or manage disease states using personalized medical nutrition therapy techniques.

References:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2019/18_0690.htm
2. https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/04/06/walking-your-way-to-better-health-remember-the-acronym-fit
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3098122/