Why Walking Works: Slowing Down May Be The Fastest Path to Lifelong Health & Longevity

Kathi
2 days ago
9 min read

In a culture that celebrates speed, measures intensity of workout, and counts life by how many finish lines we cross, walking can feel like the lazy cousin of 'real exercise.' Yet the research behind walking makes a compelling case that our bodies, and our healthy futures, depend on rediscovering this simple, basic movement. And that, in fact, walking is the real exercise humans are designed to do a lot of.

As humans, we are not born to run ourselves into the ground; we are born to walk our way toward strength, vitality, and longevity.

Our Path: Humans Evolved to Walk

Walking is excellent for health and longevity

In recent decades, fitness enthusiasts have leaned in to the “endurance running hypothesis”—the idea that our ancestors evolved to chase prey over long distances. What if that hypothesis is missing some key elements that only make it kind-of true?

While humans can run, we are designed to walk. Our musculoskeletal structure, energy systems and hormonal body all point to walking as the movement that built our bodies.

Walking, and short burst sprinting or intensity of movement, was how we hunted, gathered, migrated, and explored life. Human biology is built around slow to moderate movement done on and off throughout most of the day with occasional short bursts of high intensity activity. We did not jog over to the water hole, we walked.

The Case Against Chronic Jogging and Intense Exercise for health

After years of working with marathon runners, devoted joggers, and people just trying to be 'fit', I, and other health providers and researchers, find many runners to be chronically inflamed, frequently injured (also chronically), hormonally depleted, and with little better cardio strength than people who do other fitness activities like walking. So I ask, "why do we think long-duration, high-intensity cardio is the ultimate health activity" if it leads to:

Elevated cortisol - This is a common state in many chronic runners (and chronic exercisers too). These people workout because they feel wired, "I need to burn off this wired feeling". Then they feel tired. The problem is that the wired feeling is because their adrenals are depleted and they push cortisol into an unhealthy range. So it's like a being on a hamster wheel. You feel amped-up and intense running/exercise gives you that positive vibe "runner's high" and you feel good for a moment, tired a lot, then the wired feeling returns...gotta go for another run...
Systemic and chronic inflammation - Does, "I'm sore all the time" sound familiar? What about those injuries that just never seem to quite heal?
Loss of lean muscle mass - That is the last thing we want to lose. But, when cortisol is elevated for long durations, instead of burning fat, the body will start to burn muscle to supply the needed energy.
Depressed immune function - Marathon flu is very common (2). In fact, there is an 18% higher incidence of upper respiratory track infection post-marathon. We see chronic runners complain of having reoccurring colds and illness. (got a cold? Click here to learn some at home support to help you get better)
Increased risk of overuse injuries - Many runners have knee pain, muscles pulls, foot issues that just keep happening over and over again. (3)
Impaired recovery - When cortisol is too high, your immune system is depressed, you have chronic low-grade inflammation, and you've lost some muscle mass...well...recovery is much slower to happen.(4)
Hormonal depletion/imbalance - One of the body’s physiological systems that is extremely sensitive to the stress of exercise training is the endocrine system. An increasing number of research studies show how chronic exposure to endurance exercise training results in the development of endocrine dysfunction, which subsequently compromises normal reproductive processes and a healthy body. For instance, some men who run chronically experience lowered testosterone called exercise-hypogonadal male.
Additionally, that belly pooch could be because your body is stressed and creating visceral fat due to the hormonal response to too much intense exercise.
Potential heart dysfunction - Sustained endurance exercise may cause adverse structural remodeling of the heart and large arteries.(1,6) The very thing that many people are trying to support and strengthen by running could actually be doing the opposite in some people.
Declining motivation and burnout - A healthy endocrine system supplies hormones that keep us motivated. Hormonal depletion/imbalances, chronic injury, and depressed immune function can sure decrease the motivation to continue training.

Walking has less injury rates than jogging or running

Jogging/running/long workout session, when done excessively or without proper form and conditioning, becomes catabolic. Meaning it is breaking the body down faster than it can rebuild. We also call this a repair deficit. The idea that pounding out endless miles is the key to health or longevity needs to be questioned, and, for many people, needs to shift to more balanced health supporting activity that allows for repair, recovery, and resilience.

It's not to say that running is altogether bad, it's not. Doing short, burst-sprints 1-2 times a week can be great to build explosive strength. Short burst does not equal 5 miles or 1 long weight training sessions...

Research Shows Walking...

Comparing walkers and intense endurance runner/exercisers, the research finds walking provides:

Improved cardiovascular & mortality benefits when total energy expenditure is matched.
Lower injury rates up to tenfold fewer than chronic runners/joggers.
Improved fat metabolism that improves insulin sensitivity, better fat burning, and overall better metabolic health than most chronic runners. If you are looking to loose fat, walking is better than jogging/running/long workouts.
Lower blood pressure especially in middle-aged and older adults.
Better adherence over time—walking is sustainable, inexpensive, and adaptable. If you can get up on your feet, well, you can walk.

Running/jogging/long intense workouts certainly offers benefits, but those benefits come with a cost. For most people, walking's benefits carry only a fraction of the risk and can be sustainable for a life time. In other words, if the goal is longevity, walking wins the game.

How Walking Builds a Stronger, Longer Quality Life

Walking is profoundly anabolic—it builds up rather than tears down. Walking enhances nearly every system in the body without the wear-and-tear or hormonal stress of running. Resilience.

How does walking enhance health?

Metabolic Efficiency - Walking primarily burns fat as fuel. When done regularly, it trains the body to rely more on stored fat and less on quick-burning sugars (including fruit, starches). This metabolic flexibility stabilizes blood sugar, reduces insulin resistance, and supports sustainable energy throughout the day. When we are metabolically healthy, we are less likely to store the dangerous fat around our middles.

Cardiovascular Health- Brisk walking provides the ideal stimulus for aerobic fitness without pushing into stress and causing inappropriate cortisol release. Walking at a moderate pace strengthens the heart, improves circulation, and builds endurance. This zone 2 training has long been recognized for improving mitochondrial efficiency and other longevity markers.

Joint and Musculoskeletal Integrity - Each step in walking loads the bones gently, stimulating remodeling and maintaining bone density. Maintaining bone density is especially important as we age. Walking also improves the strength of the stabilizing muscles in the hips, knees, ankles, and feet and because impact is low, walking can be sustained daily for decades without injury.

Brain & Nervous System Benefits - Walking synchronizes movement with breathing and eye tracking, creating a neurological rhythm that calms the nervous system instead of overstimulating it and improves balance. Many studies show it enhances creativity, mood, focus, memory, and cognitive flexibility. Add walking outdoors in nature, and all of those benefits are compounded through sunlight exposure and sensory input.

Hormonal and Psychological Balance

Unlike high-intensity prolonged exercise that spikes cortisol, walking promotes parasympathetic recovery—our “rest and digest” mode. Regular walking lowers stress, supports deep sleep, improves digestive function, and improves emotional well-being. Instead of getting a great big "runners high" we get a steady energy boost without the crash. Walking is movement that sustains rather than drains.

Additional benefits of walking for longevity:

Increases mitochondrial density (the energy factories in cells)
Boost immune resilience and enhances lymphatic flow and detoxification
Extends telomere length, a biomarker of longevity

Walking is how we evolved. It is the platform upon which strength, endurance, and agility are built.

A Word On Stability and Strength...

Modern shoes, sedentary habits, and poor stability in our posture have altered our natural gait. So let's begin with a moment about feet. It's pretty common to see people with what is called pronation, or a dipping of the main foot arch downward. Many modern shoes and arch supports are designed to prop up this arch and the marketing around them have made it seem like we humans are fragile and it is normal to collapse this arch. The marketing leads us to believe nothing but putting your feet in hyper supported shoes/arch supports will save you from pain.

Let's break away from the marketing hype for a moment. First off, some pronation during the gait cycle is actually normal and appropriate. And, yes, too much pronation is not great.

IF you put on an ankle brace for a month and then take the brace off and did a hill hike, how would it go? Hopefully you are thinking, "because the brace took over for the muscles and ligaments that support and stabilize your ankle and now the ankle is weak." Those super shoes are doing the same thing. (Want to learn more about how to pick a shoe that supports healthy feet and gait - click here)

What if you strengthen the intrinsic foot muscles, practice barefoot walking when possible, and restore proper alignment from the ground up? Your feet would get stronger! (not sure how to do all of that? Schedule an appointment. We love helping people build a strong foundation)

Secondly, many of us spend lots of time on our rumps. The muscles that stabilize the pelvis are often weak as well. Getting the glut muscles, hamstrings, and adductor and abductors working and stronger helps the body move with stability and allows for full mobility. FYI, it is often weak feet and weak gluts that make for cranky knees. To build stronger feet, legs, and gluts, work slowly towards wearing less shoe support that allows a mechanically engaging gait cycle vs a shoe that does all the work.

How Much Walking Is Enough?

Because we humans also like to quantify and measure what we do, the healthy sweet spot most of us should aim for is 8,000–12,000 steps (roughly 4–6 miles) 4-6 times per week. BUT it’s less about chasing numbers and more about consistency: walking often, moving throughout the day, and avoiding long periods of sedentary time is good for everyone. Even walking for 20 mins (about 2000 steps) most days will still pay in big health dividends over a lifetime.

Is walking enough? Weeeellll, no, not really. If a person will walk 20-120 mins 4-6 days per week, they will certainly be better off than the person who walks rarely.

SO, if you can plan a program of training for health & longevity, what would it look like?

Walk often at a slow-moderate pace (Zone 1 & 2) 4-6 times/week for 20 -120 mins.
Do easy mobility activities 5 -10 mins every day. Things like cat cow, scorpions, windmills to keep your body feeling flexible (less stretch and more mobilizing).
Do body weight training, resistance activities, or actually lift heavy things like weights 1-3 times/week for 10-20 mins.
Sprint occasionally (brief intensity) 1-2 mins at a time for 3-4 times 1 time/week. (That's about 4-10 mins total)
Play abundantly - Play a sport, garden, play twister, paddle down the river... do fun things!
REST - One day per week take the day off from any planned training. AND If you are physically injured, ill, or under mental or emotion stress, remove your sprint and weight training and focus on mobility and light body weight training instead. Unless you cannot walk, keep walking, even if it is very slow short stints. RULE to live by: Exercise should build you not drain you. If you are already drained, adding more stress to the system will only drain you more. (Feeling wired but tired? Or pain is stopping from movement? Schedule an appointment at Park County Chiropractic or your local Doctor of Chiropractor)

Reframing Fitness to Function & Fun!

Chasing performance metrics can be okay to help you understand where you are at, but it can be an unhealthy habit as well. It can be hard to reel in the intensity when you have a wearable telling you to step it up each time your step onto the pavement. Off set the push from your wearables by using any zone tracking feature (Zone 2 calculation is 180 minus your age to get an idea of your heart rate maximum) to help you find a healthy walking speed. Shoot for zone 2 for most of your walking time (many of you might have to slow down). Walking is the rare form of training that nourishes both body and mind while asking little more than a pair of simple shoes, some protective clothes to match the season, and an open path.

Information to Put to Use:

Walk more, sit less. Aim to move throughout the day rather than relying on one workout.
Vary your pace. Walk at a pace that quickens breathing but still allows conversation or breathing through your nose.
Work towards barefoot shoes. Strengthen your feet and reconnect with natural movement slowly switching to shoes with less cushion and incline.
Vary terrain. A street or sidewalk is great. Then include hills, grass, sand, or trails to challenge balance and coordination.
Enjoy it. Use walking as meditation, connection, or exploration—whatever makes it sustainable.

Make walking part of your life

Humans need to have movement that creates strength and mobility to last a lifetime. Movement that keeps the body strong and resilient. Harder is not always better. Going to failure should not be what we strive for in every workout. In fact, we should find the hardest things we do well, replace exhaustion with endurance, and bind intensity to intuition.

Health is less about personal records and more about personal renewal: strong, supple joints, clear mind, calm heart. Walking gives us those gifts freely—one step at a time.