{"id":547532,"date":"2026-04-24T02:59:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/547532\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T02:59:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:59:24","slug":"you-can-walk-every-day-it-still-might-not-be-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/547532\/","title":{"rendered":"You can walk every day. It still might not be enough."},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m not Japanese walking, though Oprah has blessed it<\/a> \u2013 not heading out at my regular pace for three minutes, then speeding up, then slowing down, then speeding up, and so on, so that if I\u2019m walking with a friend who isn\u2019t following Oprah\u2019s command, I\u2019ll pull ahead and soon we\u2019ll grow too distant to talk. <\/p>\n

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I\u2019m not walking on an incline to enhance posterior chain engagement, or backwards to counteract gluteal amnesia. I\u2019m not spending over 100 bucks on iridescent Vibram finger shoes<\/a> to feel Mother Earth beneath my feet, one articulated toe at a time, as I commute through Downtown Crossing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sashaying through a forest in hopes of strengthening my immune system by spending time with trees, or doing 12-3-30<\/a>, even though the treadmill-based walking workout made its creator, Lauren Giraldo, so famous she now has more than 1.1 million followers on her YouTube channel. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m not joining Equinox so I can take a \u201cprecision\u201d walking class, or downloading an app to teach me Tai Chi walking, which would increase my postural awareness, even as the eventual challenge of trying to cancel my subscription leaves me slumped in exhaustion.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not vibing a \u201cHot Girl Walk,\u201d<\/a> rocking a matching sports bra and micro-short set, wearing pink Beats Studio Pro headphones and carrying an iced coffee for my Insta, all the while focusing on gratitude and personal goals as I stride, cooing to myself, \u201cyou\u2019re a babe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps I\u2019m taking the easy way out, but I was at peace, despite pressure from influencers, maxximizers, and fit-anista frenemies. <\/p>\n

I walk a lot \u2014 to distant interviews, to far-flung physical therapy appointments, to so many places that when my sons were young and we were going to visit my parents in Connecticut, they got nervous. \u201cDo we have to walk?\u201d they asked. <\/p>\n

I figured that what I lacked in supercharge, I made up for in miles. But the house always wins. And in early April, inevitably, there it was, the study I knew was coming for me: <\/p>\n

\u201cWalking Is America\u2019s Favorite Workout \u2014 Experts Say That\u2019s a Problem,\u201d <\/a>read the headline on a health-focused site called mindbodygreen.<\/p>\n

A problem???<\/p>\n

Despite Nike\u2019s recent slap \u2014 \u201cRunners welcome. Walkers tolerated\u201d<\/a> read the now-removed ad in its Newbury Street store window \u2014 walking has enjoyed enviable press. <\/p>\n

\"AA woman walks a dog earlier this month atop a hill at Lasrz Anderson Park as a giant maple tree looms in the foreground. John Tlumacki\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

Story after story extolls its positive impact on blood pressure, stroke prevention, digestion, sleep, creativity, cognition, and even fight-reduction. When someone yells, \u201cWalk it off, buddy!\u201d buddy\u2019s not expected to first grab trekking poles.<\/p>\n

But, alas, researchers who analyzed data <\/a>from the CDC\u2019s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System found a catch. <\/p>\n

They looked at which physical activities adults reported as their primary form of exercise. Then they cross referenced that data with federal guidelines to see how various groups fared.<\/p>\n

The walkers scored second to last on the combined aerobic activity and muscle strengthening metric, placing ahead of the \u201clawn\/gardening\u201d cohort but BEHIND people in the \u201cfishing\/hunting\u201d category.<\/p>\n

Excuse me while I carbo load before I sit in a beach chair for five hours with a pole stuck in the sand next to my Yeti.<\/p>\n

I needed to speak with the study\u2019s lead author, a West Virginia University Extension physical activity specialist and assistant professor named Christiaan Abildso.<\/p>\n

I tried to keep my tone neutral when he picked up the phone, but I could hear the edge. \u201cIs walking good for you?\u201d I demanded. <\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Abildso said so cheerfully that I suspected I was being trolled.<\/p>\n

He began by extolling its ease and affordability, and even spoke skeptically about weighted vests. I was nodding along smugly, until he started to say things like: \u201cWalkers just need to add in body weight resistance training,\u201d and \u201cif you walk faster or up a hill for sure that\u2019s better than walking three miles per hour on a flat surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

I know I should have grabbed one of many (never-stretched) resistance bands, but instead I channelled the catchphrase popularized by Billy Crystal, \u201cIt\u2019s better to look good than to feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n

And look, there, in the New York Times, was the news I needed. \u201cYou, Too, Can Walk Like a Model,\u201d<\/a> the headline read.<\/p>\n

The story explained that I needed to open my chest as if I were \u201cgreeting sunshine\u201d with my body. I had to pretend laser beams were shooting from my eyes to get the signature stone-faced look. And to achieve the proper gait, when I walked my imaginary catwalk, I was supposed to imagine my feet splashing into puddles.<\/p>\n

And so it was that I went for a walk, chest out, laser beams shooting, enthusiastically calling out \u201csplash,\u201d \u201csplash,\u201d \u201csplash\u201d with each step \u2014 like a pre-school teacher determined to make the best of a rainy field trip. <\/p>\n

I was ranting about splashing when I ran into a neighbor walking her dog. It was sunny out, and I was about to explain myself, but she seemed undaunted. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe should take a walk sometime,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Beth Teitell can be reached at beth.teitell@globe.com<\/a>. Follow her @bethteitell<\/a>.<\/p>\n