Walking over Cardio
- Juli Schafer
- Mar 6
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 20
This article is part of our Small Steps Create Big Change to your Health and Wellness Series.
One of the best and easiest Healthy Habit Hacks is to go for a walk!
Walking is the holy grail of movement. It's easy, free, does not require skills, and can be done anywhere.
It has now been shown that walking is the best exercise we can do for lowering our cortisol, increasing our longevity and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels! We are told that we need 10,000 steps to be “healthy” but increasing your daily movement by just 2000 steps will show you noticeable differences.
I used to see people walking and think it was a waste of time because they weren’t panting or sweating. Now I am enlightened. Don’t let anyone tell you walking is not exercise. I wish more people know that walking is the key to unlocking longevity and a strong healthy body according to science. The benefits from walking are astounding! Walking and daily movement increase your Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) twice as effectively as traditional “cardio.”
So….walking can help maintain a healthy weight, aid in losing body fat, help prevent diseases, improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones and muscles, increase energy, decrease depression and anxiety, and improve sleep!
One of the best ways to get stress out of your body is to be active. Exercise will clear your mind, and walking is exercise! Plus it feels so good to get out in nature and have the light on your face and smell the fresh air. It makes you appreciate the little things, which are really the big things!
Healthy Habit Hack:
Go out first thing in the morning if you can for a short walk. Even just ten minutes. You will get the sunlight in your eyes, the sounds of nature in your ears and you will start regulating that cortisol.
If you don’t want to go to a gym, have a small living space, live in a cold climate, or don’t have time to walk until the evening, consider getting a walking pad. Drop it down and walk during a show.
Here are a few with great reviews that go on sale.
One more little, simple step to create big change in your life. You got this!
