Walking for Exercise

Who says exercise has to be exhausting or painful to be effective? Try walking!

Published: January 22, 2024

Screen Shot 2024-01-01 at 4.47.55 PM — © kali9 | Getty Images Experts say the best exercise is the one you will do. No matter where you live, there’s a place you can walk. Whether it’s outside in pleasant weather or indoors in a shopping mall, walking can be beneficial if you walk regularly and at a fast enough pace to increase your heart rate.

It’s a misconception that exercise has to be exhausting or leave you gasping for breath to have cardiovascular benefit, says Michael Crawford, MS, ACSM-CEP, manager of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic. “Walking can be a good aerobic exercise if you do it long enough and at a high enough intensity to raise your heart rate,” he says.