what will 30 mins of walking do
Walking 30 minutes a day can help reduce the risk of heart attack and disease, according to the American Heart Association. You may be able to reduce your risk of heart issues even further by walking faster.
Another one of the advantages of walking: It's good for your heart. Walking 30 minutes a day can help reduce the risk of heart attack and disease, according to the American Heart Association. You may be able to reduce your risk of heart issues even further by walking faster.
What happens to your body when you walk for 30-minutes a day?
You might lose weight
Ready to add some more steps to your fitness routine? Here’s what you can expect:
When it comes to walking for weight loss, you might want to consider investing in one of the best Fitbits, or best fitness trackers to accurately measure your distance traveled and calories burned. On average, an hour's walk will burn between 100 and 175 calories for most people. So, you're not going to lose weight unless you cut back your caloric intake or engage in more vigorous physical activity, but walking faster, for longer, or walking uphill can increase your calorie burn.
Works Your Muscles
If you've ever felt soreness from a particularly taxing walk, you know that the activity works your leg muscles. Walking primarily targets your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, notes Reda Elmardi, R.D., C.S.C.S., registered dietician, certified strength and conditioning coach, and founder of the wellness site the Gym Goat.
The muscles on the front side of your legs do a majority of the work when you're walking uphill, says Sharon Gam, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist and certified strength and conditioning coach. The muscles on the back side of your legs take charge when — you guessed it — you're meandering downhill. Strengthening these muscles can lead to a domino effect. "When you increase the strength and endurance of your legs, it generally makes it easier to exercise and move around, leading to greater physical activity throughout the day," John P. McCarthy, Ph.D., professor of physical therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, previously told Shape. Plus, "you burn more calories overall," he added.
Decreases Stress
The physical benefits of lacing up for a stroll are real — but so are the mental health benefits, according to psychotherapist Courtney Glashow, L.C.S.W., founder of Anchor Therapy LLC. "Walking can decrease your stress levels by giving you a break from your daily stressors and helping you become more mindful.
Strengthens Your Joints
Running, boot camp, and jumping rope are all phenomenal forms of exercise, no doubt about it. The catch? They're all high impact, which means they put a high level of impact on your joints, ligaments, and tendons.
For people who have preexisting soft-tissue injuries, that may be too much force. That's where walking comes into play. "Walking is a great form of low-impact exercise," says Elmardi. Best of all, it's accessible to people of all ages and fitness levels, he says.
Walking isn't just easy on your joints, but it can actually strengthen them too, notes Elmardi. "Walking causes the muscles around the joints to contract and relax, which helps them strengthen and become stronger," he explains. This helps prevent general joint wear and tear, "and it can also reduce pain and stiffness associated with knee osteoarthritis," he says.
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