The Power of Walking: Supercharge Your Health and Reduce Disease Risk

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Walking, at any intensity, is good for you. A slow, steady pace has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. But research suggests that increasing the length of your walk can lower the risk of premature death and diseases such as cancer—and raising the intensity brings additional benefits.

To help us level up our walks, I reached out to Janet Dufek, a professor of kinesiology and nutrition sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I also took a fitness-focused walk with Martinus Evans, a certified running coach and the founder of Slow AF Run Club.

Evans and I explored Prospect Park in Brooklyn, where he reminded me that a workout walk, more than anything else, should be fun. “We’re not elite athletes,” he said. “We’re walking for joy, and we can make up our own rules.”

Walking engages large muscle groups but if it’s your only form of movement, try adding exercises that focus on your upper body, Dr. Dufek said.

Consider bringing one- or two-pound weights with you, Evans suggested. You can use them while you’re walking or pull over and do bicep curls or shoulder presses.

Dr. Dufek suggested trying arm motions like air punching: holding the weights and extending your arms in front of you, as if you were boxing. You can also make a “T” shape with your arms as you hold the weights.

Instead of weights, you can bring filled-up water bottles, which can serve as makeshift weights as you first start out, Dr. Dufek added. They will also serve as motivation to stay hydrated later in your walk, she added.

If you don’t want to carry weights, you can swing your arms more vigorously or try arm circles. Start with wide arcs and slowly “minimize them until they’re very small circles,” Evans said. Go in one direction for 30 seconds, and then switch to the other direction.