Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on August 22, 2023
Question 1/13

Research shows you're likely to live longer if you walk at least:

  • 5.5 miles per week
  • 10.5 miles per week
  • 15.5 miles per week

Walking this much at a slow pace of 2 miles per hour can be enough to lower your risk of things like heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure by 31%. People who walked farther and faster got even more benefit, in case you needed some extra motivation.

Question 2/13

Women who walk 30 minutes a day may cut their risk of stroke by:

  • 10% - 20%
  • 20% - 40%
  • 40% - 60%

Just a little can do wonders to help your blood move through your body the way it should. Any time you can spend walking is good, but push yourself a little: Getting your heart rate up can strengthen it and lower your blood pressure.

Question 3/13

If you walk 10,000 steps, you've gone about:

  • 1 mile
  • 5 miles
  • 10 miles

This is a good goal for overall health. If you can’t quite make that, any walking you do helps. You can work your way up slowly: Use a pedometer to count your steps, and try to kick it up by at least 500 each week.

Question 4/13

Brisk walking counts as cardio exercise.

  • True
  • False
  • It depends

Ideally, you should log at least 150 minutes of exercise that raises your heart rate every week. Walking can definitely count toward this goal. You don’t need any special equipment (except a decent pair of shoes), and you can do it practically anywhere. But to get cardio credit, you have to do more than stroll to the fridge and back. If you can belt out a song, you need to pick up the pace.

Question 5/13

Walking is as good for your heart as running.

  • True, if you do enough of it
  • False, you need to raise your heart rate
  • Neither is really good for your heart

For years, many experts thought that really pushing yourself -- and your heart rate -- was the best way to strengthen your heart. But it turns out that brisk walking is just as good when it comes to cutting your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes -- as long as you do about twice as much of it.

Question 6/13

You should do this many minutes of brisk walking each week if you want to lose weight:

  • About 75
  • About 150
  • About 300

That may sound like a lot, but it breaks down to less than 45 minutes a day -- a reasonable target if you're serious about shaping up. But if your schedule is packed, you can burn just as many calories with 20 minutes of exercise called high-intensity interval training (HIIT): 20 seconds of an energetic activity, like running, followed by 1 minute of recovery (walking). This jump-starts your metabolism so your body can burn more fat.

Question 7/13

Take your dog for a half-hour walk, and you may burn about:

  • 100 calories
  • 200 calories
  • 300 calories

Everyone burns calories at a different rate -- this number is for someone who weighs 150 pounds. But the idea is the same: Give in to the pooch with the pleading eyes, and you can torch some calories.

Question 8/13

To boost your mood, try taking a walk in:

  • A shopping mall near your house
  • A city, so you can sightsee as you move
  • A leafy, natural area

Scientists at Stanford University asked people to walk 90 minutes in either a woodsy area or an urban one. Those who strolled in nature had less activity in an area of the brain linked to depression. That supports earlier studies that showed that people who live in cities tend to have more mental health issues, like anxiety and mood disorders, than people who live in the country.

Question 9/13

Exercise like walking lowers your risk of breast cancer because it:

  • Turns off genes that let cancer cells grow
  • Lowers the estrogen in your bloodstream
  • Protects your cells

Women who are active are 30% to 40% less likely to get breast cancer. Women and men who walk briskly or do other physical activities regularly are also much less likely than others to have colon cancer. To cut your cancer risk, try to walk at least 30 minutes almost every day.

Question 10/13

Walking is good for people who have type-2 diabetes because:

  • It lowers blood sugar levels
  • It helps you lose weight
  • It helps your body use sugar
  • All the above

Exercise helps the hormone insulin get sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells, where it can be used for energy. That can lower your risk of complications from diabetes, like nerve damage and kidney disease. A 10-minute walk after each meal is enough to do the trick.

Question 11/13

If you have arthritis, you should:

  • Walk regularly for exercise
  • Avoid walking too much -- it strains your joints
  • Walking won't help or hurt you

Got achy, creaky knees or hips? You have good reason to get walking then. For starters, your joint fluid moves around when you do, and that gets oxygen and nutrients to your joints and cartilage and helps prevent friction. It also strengthens your leg and core muscles. When your muscles do more of the work, your joints hurt less. A regular walk may also help you slim down, and a thinner body means less pressure on your joints.

Question 12/13

If you have back pain, you should:

  • Stay in bed and rest until you feel better
  • Stretch, but don’t walk much until you feel better
  • Walk 20 to 40 minutes two or three times a week

Most doctors recommend physical therapy for people who have chronic lower back pain. While that can help, walking can be just as effective. And it’s free and a great stress reliever -- and you can do it anytime without a referral from your doctor.

Question 13/13

Walking is good for your bones because it's:

  • Weight-bearing exercise
  • Resistance exercise
  • Balance training

Activities that make you bear the weight of your own body against gravity are important because they stress your bones, and that leads them to make more cells and become more solid. Other exercises that are good for your bones include high-impact activities, like jumping rope; stretching; and strength training with weights. Talk to your doctor about what's best and safe for you.

Show Sources

IMAGE PROVIDED BY:

  1. Thinkstock Photos

 

SOURCES:

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: "Exercise and Bone Health."

American Council on Exercise: "20-Minute Calorie-Burning HIIT Workout."

American Friends of Tel Aviv University: "Walking Away From Back Pain."

Arthritis Foundation: "12 Benefits of Walking."

Calorie Control Council: "Get Moving! Calculator."

CDC: "How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?" "Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight."

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: "Trim Your Cancer Risk With Exercise."

Friedenreich, C. JAMA Oncology. September 2015.

Harvard Health Letter: "Counting Every Step You Take."

Harvard Men's Health Watch: "Walking: Your Steps to Health."

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Measuring Physical Activity."

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: "Diabetes and Physical Activity."

Reynolds, AN. Diabetologia. December 2016.

Stanford University News: "Stanford Researchers Find Mental Health Prescription: Nature."

Williams, P. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. April 2013.

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