{"id":109286,"date":"2025-09-02T14:17:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/109286\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T14:17:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:17:12","slug":"is-walking-enough-to-stay-strong-after-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/109286\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Walking Enough To Stay Strong After 50?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lacing up your sneakers and getting in daily steps<\/a> is one of the best fitness habits to build. Both your mind and body reap the benefits of this low-impact cardio workout<\/a>. Head outdoors\u2014even better! Fresh air, warm rays of sunshine, and enticing new routes and trails await. But once you hit 50, is walking<\/a> enough to stay strong and fit? We spoke with experts who share everything to know if walking is your go-to form of exercise.<\/p>\n

Is Walking Enough To Stay Strong and Fit After 50?
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Walking is great for boosting heart health, improving joint mobility, and keeping your body active, but keep in mind that it\u2019s not enough on its own to maintain muscle strength after 50.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we age, muscles naturally shrink unless they are challenged with resistance. Walking mainly works the legs at a low intensity, so it doesn\u2019t build much strength in the upper body or core,\u201d says Denise Chakoian, Rhode Island certified fitness trainer and owner of\u00a0 Core Cycle<\/a> and Fitness La Gree. \u201cTo hold on to muscle, it helps to add in squats, pushups, or lifting weights to your routine. Walking can still play a big role by improving endurance and keeping the joints flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The #1 Walking Method To Shrink Belly Fat Fast After 50, According to a Trainer<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Kira Capozzolo, a chiropractor based in Solana Beach, CA and co-founder of Twin Waves Wellness Center<\/a>, agrees that walking on its own simply won\u2019t cut it. \u201cIt\u2019s a great foundation, but the people I see thriving after 50 are the ones who combine walking with resistance training, core work, and mobility exercises,\u201d she says. \u201cThat combination keeps the heart healthy, the muscles strong, and the joints moving well \u2014 and it directly addresses the hormonal shifts that accelerate muscle breakdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strength training becomes more crucial than ever when you reach your 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. It directly trains your bones and muscles, slowing down the loss of both.<\/p>\n

That said, walking and resistance training support different needs, and a combination of both makes for a well-rounded fitness routine that supports overall health and muscle preservation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWalking [is essential] for endurance and mobility, lifting for strength and stability,\u201d Chakoian points out. \u201cFor aging bodies, combining the two gives the best results for long-term health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b Why People Are Ditching Regular Walks for \u2018Nordic Walking\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

How To Optimize Your Walking Workouts To Build Power and Endurance
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Incorporating intervals\u2014quick bursts of fast walking\u2014helps your body move with more power. In addition, tackling hills or stairs adds an extra challenge, forcing your leg muscles to work harder.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/p>\n

\u201cFor endurance, it helps to go for longer walks at a steady pace without stopping. Using intervals, like two minutes fast and three minutes easy, is a good way to train both at once,\u201d Chakoian says. \u201cArm swings and a stronger push off the toes make each step more powerful. Carrying light hand weights or wearing a weighted vest can also increase the challenge carefully. By mixing these methods, walking can go beyond being just light exercise and turn into real training for strength and stamina.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking for more easy ways to lose fat? Here\u2019s How Long Your Walking Workout Should Be To Shrink Belly Fat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alexa Mellardo<\/p>\n

\t\tAlexa is a content strategist, editor, and writer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has 11+ years of experience creating content for travel, lifestyle, fitness, wellness, F&B, home, and celeb news publications.\t\t\t\t\tRead more about Alexa <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lacing up your sneakers and getting in daily steps is one of the best fitness habits to build.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109287,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1167,6647,102,56,54,55,6899,1169],"class_list":{"0":"post-109286","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-exercise","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-unitedkingdom","14":"tag-walking","15":"tag-workouts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}