Is Walking Considered Cardio?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWalking as CardioHealth BenefitsWalking vs. RunningWalking SpeedHow Often?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Walking as Cardio

Health Benefits

Walking vs. Running

Walking Speed

How Often?

Walking that increases your heart and breathing rates is considered a form of cardiovascular exercise (also called “cardio” or “aerobic exercise”). Walking is one of the best forms of cardio. You can walk virtually anywhere, and it’s free, making it accessible to people of nearly any fitness level.Why Walking Is One of the Best Types of CardioWalking is one of the best types of cardiovascular exercise. It offers the physical and mentalhealth benefitsof cardio, like lower blood pressure and blood sugar and reduced stress, while putting less strain on your joints than other forms of exercise.Walking is free and easy to build into your daily routine, making it one of the most accessible forms of cardio for people of any fitness level.Health Benefits of WalkingBrisk walking, like other forms of cardio exercise, gets oxygen-rich blood pumping throughout your body, contributing to many health benefits, such as:Improved cholesterolImproved mental healthLower blood sugarLower body weight and fatLower cardiovascular disease risk factorsReduced chronic stressWalking longer distances or at a faster pace is likely to provide more health benefits.Walking may even help you live longer: One study of 4,840 participants over approximately 10 years found that a higherdaily step countwas associated with a lower risk of death from any cause.Is It Better Than Running?It’s difficult to say whetherwalking or runningis “better” than the other; much of the answer depends on your goals. For example:Burning calories: When it comes to burning calories, running burns about twice as many calories as walking in the same amount of time.However, you may find that you can walk longer than you can run because it’s less physically demanding.Impact on joints: Walking may be a better long-term option because it’s easier on the joints and less likely to cause injury. Running is a high-impact sport that can cause foot, ankle, knee, and hip injuries, especially if performed on hard surfaces like pavement.Risk of injury: One systematic review found that 27% of new runners experienced injury within one year. The injury rate increased to 32% among long-distance runners and 52% among marathon runners.How Fast Do You Need to Walk?You mustwalk brisklyto increase your heart and breathing rates to receive cardiovascular health benefits. Brisk walking speed is around 3 miles per hour (mph) or faster.One way to tell if you’re walking fast enough is if you can talk to someone but struggle to sing a song.Other ways to determine your walking speed include using a timer and map, a fitness tracking device, or a phone app.How Often?Physical activity guidelines in the United States recommend that adults get the following amount of weekly exercise:150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week (for example, 30 minutes, five days per week)An additional two days of muscle-strengthening activity per week.Walking can be part of your 150 minutes of weekly exercise, but it’s up to you to divide it according to your schedule and preferences. Some examples include:Walk for 30 minutes five days a week.Walk for 10 minutes three times a day, five days a week.Walk for 15 minutes every day and do a 45-minute exercise class once a week.Walk for one hour once a week, and do another form of exercise for 30 minutes three days a week.Walk for one hour twice a week, and do one other 30-minute exercise per week.Go on a three-hour hike once a week.If Walking Is the Only Exercise You Do, Is That Enough to Stay Healthy?SummaryWalking is a wonderful but often overlooked way to get exercise. Brisk walking, around 3 miles per hour, has health benefits like lowering body weight and blood sugar, improving mental health and lipid profile, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Importantly, there is a low barrier to entry for walking because it’s free, and you can build it into your daily routine.

Walking that increases your heart and breathing rates is considered a form of cardiovascular exercise (also called “cardio” or “aerobic exercise”). Walking is one of the best forms of cardio. You can walk virtually anywhere, and it’s free, making it accessible to people of nearly any fitness level.

Why Walking Is One of the Best Types of Cardio

Walking is one of the best types of cardiovascular exercise. It offers the physical and mentalhealth benefitsof cardio, like lower blood pressure and blood sugar and reduced stress, while putting less strain on your joints than other forms of exercise.

Walking is free and easy to build into your daily routine, making it one of the most accessible forms of cardio for people of any fitness level.

Health Benefits of Walking

Brisk walking, like other forms of cardio exercise, gets oxygen-rich blood pumping throughout your body, contributing to many health benefits, such as:

Walking longer distances or at a faster pace is likely to provide more health benefits.Walking may even help you live longer: One study of 4,840 participants over approximately 10 years found that a higherdaily step countwas associated with a lower risk of death from any cause.

Is It Better Than Running?

It’s difficult to say whetherwalking or runningis “better” than the other; much of the answer depends on your goals. For example:

How Fast Do You Need to Walk?

You mustwalk brisklyto increase your heart and breathing rates to receive cardiovascular health benefits. Brisk walking speed is around 3 miles per hour (mph) or faster.One way to tell if you’re walking fast enough is if you can talk to someone but struggle to sing a song.

Other ways to determine your walking speed include using a timer and map, a fitness tracking device, or a phone app.

Physical activity guidelines in the United States recommend that adults get the following amount of weekly exercise:

Walking can be part of your 150 minutes of weekly exercise, but it’s up to you to divide it according to your schedule and preferences. Some examples include:

If Walking Is the Only Exercise You Do, Is That Enough to Stay Healthy?

Summary

Walking is a wonderful but often overlooked way to get exercise. Brisk walking, around 3 miles per hour, has health benefits like lowering body weight and blood sugar, improving mental health and lipid profile, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Importantly, there is a low barrier to entry for walking because it’s free, and you can build it into your daily routine.

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.Walking your way to better health? Remember the acronym FIT.Kelly P, Williamson C, Niven AG, Hunter R, Mutrie N, Richards J.Walking on sunshine: scoping review of the evidence for walking and mental health.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):800-806. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098827National Health Service.Walking for health.Oja P, Kelly P, Murtagh EM, Murphy MH, Foster C, Titze S.Effects of frequency, intensity, duration and volume of walking interventions on CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials among inactive healthy adults.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):769-775. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098558Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Bassett DR, et al.Association of daily step count and step intensity with mortality among us adults.JAMA. 2020;323(12):1151-1160. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1382Stamatakis E, Kelly P, Strain T, Murtagh EM, Ding D, Murphy MH.Self-rated walking pace and all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality: individual participant pooled analysis of 50 225 walkers from 11 population British cohorts.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):761-768. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098677American Council on Exercise.Calorie burners: activities that turn up the heat.Ferro-Sánchez A, Martín-Castellanos A, Rubia A de la, García-Aliaga A, Hontoria-Galán M, Marquina M.An analysis of running impact on different surfaces for injury prevention.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023;20(14):6405. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146405Arnold MJ, Moody AL.Common running injuries: evaluation and management.afp. 2018;97(8):510-516.Kluitenberg B, van Middelkoop M, Diercks R, van der Worp H.What are the differences in injury proportions between different populations of runners? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports Med. 2015;45(8):1143-1161. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0331-xCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Adult activity: an overview.

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.Walking your way to better health? Remember the acronym FIT.Kelly P, Williamson C, Niven AG, Hunter R, Mutrie N, Richards J.Walking on sunshine: scoping review of the evidence for walking and mental health.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):800-806. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098827National Health Service.Walking for health.Oja P, Kelly P, Murtagh EM, Murphy MH, Foster C, Titze S.Effects of frequency, intensity, duration and volume of walking interventions on CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials among inactive healthy adults.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):769-775. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098558Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Bassett DR, et al.Association of daily step count and step intensity with mortality among us adults.JAMA. 2020;323(12):1151-1160. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1382Stamatakis E, Kelly P, Strain T, Murtagh EM, Ding D, Murphy MH.Self-rated walking pace and all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality: individual participant pooled analysis of 50 225 walkers from 11 population British cohorts.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):761-768. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098677American Council on Exercise.Calorie burners: activities that turn up the heat.Ferro-Sánchez A, Martín-Castellanos A, Rubia A de la, García-Aliaga A, Hontoria-Galán M, Marquina M.An analysis of running impact on different surfaces for injury prevention.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023;20(14):6405. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146405Arnold MJ, Moody AL.Common running injuries: evaluation and management.afp. 2018;97(8):510-516.Kluitenberg B, van Middelkoop M, Diercks R, van der Worp H.What are the differences in injury proportions between different populations of runners? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports Med. 2015;45(8):1143-1161. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0331-xCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Adult activity: an overview.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Heart Association.Walking your way to better health? Remember the acronym FIT.Kelly P, Williamson C, Niven AG, Hunter R, Mutrie N, Richards J.Walking on sunshine: scoping review of the evidence for walking and mental health.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):800-806. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098827National Health Service.Walking for health.Oja P, Kelly P, Murtagh EM, Murphy MH, Foster C, Titze S.Effects of frequency, intensity, duration and volume of walking interventions on CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials among inactive healthy adults.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):769-775. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098558Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Bassett DR, et al.Association of daily step count and step intensity with mortality among us adults.JAMA. 2020;323(12):1151-1160. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1382Stamatakis E, Kelly P, Strain T, Murtagh EM, Ding D, Murphy MH.Self-rated walking pace and all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality: individual participant pooled analysis of 50 225 walkers from 11 population British cohorts.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):761-768. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098677American Council on Exercise.Calorie burners: activities that turn up the heat.Ferro-Sánchez A, Martín-Castellanos A, Rubia A de la, García-Aliaga A, Hontoria-Galán M, Marquina M.An analysis of running impact on different surfaces for injury prevention.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023;20(14):6405. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146405Arnold MJ, Moody AL.Common running injuries: evaluation and management.afp. 2018;97(8):510-516.Kluitenberg B, van Middelkoop M, Diercks R, van der Worp H.What are the differences in injury proportions between different populations of runners? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports Med. 2015;45(8):1143-1161. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0331-xCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Adult activity: an overview.

American Heart Association.Walking your way to better health? Remember the acronym FIT.

Kelly P, Williamson C, Niven AG, Hunter R, Mutrie N, Richards J.Walking on sunshine: scoping review of the evidence for walking and mental health.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):800-806. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098827

National Health Service.Walking for health.

Oja P, Kelly P, Murtagh EM, Murphy MH, Foster C, Titze S.Effects of frequency, intensity, duration and volume of walking interventions on CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials among inactive healthy adults.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):769-775. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098558

Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Bassett DR, et al.Association of daily step count and step intensity with mortality among us adults.JAMA. 2020;323(12):1151-1160. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1382

Stamatakis E, Kelly P, Strain T, Murtagh EM, Ding D, Murphy MH.Self-rated walking pace and all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality: individual participant pooled analysis of 50 225 walkers from 11 population British cohorts.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(12):761-768. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098677

American Council on Exercise.Calorie burners: activities that turn up the heat.

Ferro-Sánchez A, Martín-Castellanos A, Rubia A de la, García-Aliaga A, Hontoria-Galán M, Marquina M.An analysis of running impact on different surfaces for injury prevention.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023;20(14):6405. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146405

Arnold MJ, Moody AL.Common running injuries: evaluation and management.afp. 2018;97(8):510-516.

Kluitenberg B, van Middelkoop M, Diercks R, van der Worp H.What are the differences in injury proportions between different populations of runners? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports Med. 2015;45(8):1143-1161. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0331-x

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Adult activity: an overview.

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