What are the health benefits of walking? A guide to increasing your daily steps

Discover the health benefits of walking regularly. Plus, check out our guide to increasing your daily steps for improved physical and mental wellbeing.

What I love about walking is how uncomplicated it is. A comfy pair of shoes, some suitable clothing, a water bottle and off you go. Despite its simplicity, it is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health.

This blog post answers the following questions:

• What are the health benefits of regular walking?

• Why is walking outside so good for us?

• How many steps should we walk in a day?

• What type of walking is best for our health?

• How to build a realistic walking routine?

The simplest things often make the biggest difference

I’ve always known that walking is good for me, but my own walking routine has definitely had its ups and downs. Earlier this year I hit one of those spells where my energy dipped, my motivation wasn’t great, and I just needed something simple to get me moving again.

Walking felt like the easiest win; no gym membership, no equipment, no pressure. All I needed to do was put one foot in front of the other, and that certainly helped. Within a couple of weeks, I was feeling lighter in myself. My digestion became more comfortable, my mood lifted, and my energy felt steadier throughout the day. Nothing dramatic, but enough to remind me that the simplest things often make the biggest difference.

But recently I realised I’ve let the habit slip a bit. Life got busy, the days got shorter, colder and wetter, and before I knew it my step count had dwindled again. So, I revisited the science, partly to motivate myself, partly to share what I found, and partly to set some more realistic walking goals going forward. What I discovered reminded me why walking is such a powerful tool, especially when energy and motivation are low.

What are the health benefits of regular walking?

Regular walking is one of the easiest things you can do to improve your overall wellbeing.

On a physical level, walking improves circulation and takes pressure off the heart. More blood flow means more oxygen is delivered to your muscles and organs, which helps everything function more smoothly. It also wakes up the digestive system, which is why a gentle walk after meals can make such a noticeable difference if you’re prone to bloating or sluggish digestion.

Walking also supports mental wellbeing. When you move rhythmically, your body produces more endorphins and less cortisol, which might explain why you come back from a walk feeling calmer and clearer. And I’ve found it’s not just the movement that helps; it’s the headspace that it provides, either to think through problems, or just enjoy being in the moment and taking time out to observe my surroundings. 

Why is walking outside so good for us?

Getting your daily steps in is undoubtedly good for you, but the steps that are most beneficial are those that we take outside—even if it’s just a loop around the block. Daylight, especially in the morning, helps regulate your body clock, which has a knock-on effect on mood, sleep and energy. When the sun is strong enough, you also get the added bonus of Vitamin D production, which supports the immune system and hormone balance.

Being outside also exposes you to nature, even if it’s only a few trees or a bit of sky. Research shows that nature has a measurable calming effect on the nervous system. And the variety in terrain outdoors subtly works more muscles without you having to think about it.

How many steps should we walk in a day? 

For years I, like many, accepted the idea that I must do 10,000 steps a day. This wasn’t a number based on science, but one dreamt up in Japan following the 1964 Olympics in a bid to promote the sale of a step counter. 

Research has more recently found that meaningful health benefits are noticeable around 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, particularly for blood sugar balance, metabolic health and mood. Bigger improvements appear between 6,000 and 8,000 steps, which feels far more realistic for most people than trying to hit 10k every single day.

The most important point, and the one I’ve had to remind myself of, is that your starting point matters more than the number of steps itself. If you normally do 2,000 steps a day, increasing by even 1,000 can make a big difference. Your body will respond to progress, and be more likely to adapt to a comfortable routine if you aim for realistic goals, and subsequently it will be ready to take on incremental increases over time. 

What type of walking is best for our health?

While all steps count, the type of walking you do matters. The steps we take pottering around the kitchen or moving from room to room are still useful, but they don’t provide quite the same benefits as a continuous, intentional walk.

Continuous walking, even if it is slow and steady, raises your heart rate in a consistent, controlled way, supports blood sugar regulation, improves circulation and helps reduce stress levels.

Brisk walking offers a little more cardio benefit, but it doesn’t need to become a daily mission. Most of the gains come simply from regular, intentional movement, especially outdoors where you get the added benefits of light and nature as previously touched upon.

How to build a realistic walking routine?

Part of resetting your walking goals involves realistically looking at how you can fit it into your daily life. You don’t need long hikes; just small pockets of consistent movement. I enjoy a short morning walk as it gives some much-needed daylight and helps me wake up properly. And a 10-minute walk after meals works well too, especially after lunch or dinner.

Anchoring a walk to something you already do, like after breakfast, or while dinner cooks, makes it much easier to stick to. Weaving your steps into things you already do can turn walking into a pleasure rather than just one more thing to fit into your busy life. This could be choosing to walk short distances instead of driving, getting off the bus one stop earlier, or swapping ten minutes of ‘scrolling’ for a quick loop outside listening to a podcast or audiobook.

Avoid obsessing over daily numbers. Some days will naturally involve more movement than others, and that’s fine. It’s the pattern across the week that matters.

Simple Ways to Increase Your Steps 

Simple ways to increase your steps without adding extra work to your day: 

• Take a short walk after meals

• Add a 10-minute morning or lunchtime outdoor walk for daylight

• Replace short drives with short walks when possible

• Link a walk to daily habits (school run, after work, while dinner cooks)

• Replace scrolling on your phone with walking while listening to a podcast, or music.

• Find a good audiobook to listen to and ONLY allow yourself to listen to it while walking 

• Suggest a walk with friends instead of just a coffee

• Park a little further away from your destination or get off transport one stop early

• Aim for a weekly rhythm rather than perfect daily numbers

Getting back into walking has reminded me how much better I feel when I give my body regular movement and my mind some breathing space. The benefits build quietly, almost in the background, but the difference is genuine.

If you’ve been feeling a dip in energy or motivation, walking might be the simplest and most realistic place to start again. It certainly has been for me.

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