I recently came across a clip from a podcast where a fairly well known motivational/self-improvement guru said they don’t see walking as exercise and they think its wild that we consider walking to even be exercise these days.
UMMMM I’m sorry… WHAT? My reaction = Immediately PISSED… Excuse me? Walking.. is not exercise????
The definition of exercise:
Exercise: ex·er·cise : bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness
I would classify walking as exercise based on the definition of exercise alone. Also, let’s not forget race walking is an Olympic sport.. just saying.
I understand that some people have higher standards for their own daily exercise goals and that walking is often something we do without thought on a daily basis just to get around….I get that side of the argument, HOWEVER; I don’t agree with a blanket statement of “walking isn’t exercise”. Some people literally only have the option and capability to simply walk to improve their health… so why would we on walking altogether as a form of exercise? That’s an immediate NO for me. Moving is moving… are some strategies better and more effective or efficient? sure, but I’ll never take away from the fact that walking is still moving your body and will always be better than sitting and being sedentary in general.
We all go through seasons of life where we are ON IT, where our routines are on point, we are active regularly, we feel great, and life is good. On the flip side of the coin, we’ve ALL.. yes every single one of you and myself included, have all been in a funk where motivation is low or nonexistent, we aren’t moving as much as we know we can and probably should be, and we just overall don’t feel like we're thriving at all. You’d be lying if you said otherwise. One of the best ways to get out of a funk is to just do something that is small, does not require a big mental or physical load, and something that is an easy accomplishment to check off the to do list. Often times for many of my clients one of the easiest places to start and simplest thing to do in order to move more is … literally… just adding more walking into their daily routine. It’s simple, it’s free, it’s moving, and IT IS EXERCISE.
I think it’s safe to say that, unless your job involves lots of walking around, for a large majority of people (myself included) you are probably SITTING for the vast majority of your day. Typically, there isn’t much you can do about that (unless you can multitask and have a walking pad), but a great way to combat all that sitting is by adding in some walking to your day. Making walking a non-negotiable part of your daily routine can help immensely. This could be a daily step goal which is what most people follow, or you could look at your weekly step goal overall, maybe you want to add in some hikes with friends instead.. do what works for you. A lot of my clients add in post dinner walks (if weather allows it where you live) or they will go on a morning walk before work, or a lunch break walk. It’s one of those things where it seems like it does nothing because it is not intense, but you feel better after, and over time of doing it enough day after day you start to feel the effects. If you are looking to increase your activity, drop pounds, drop body fat, lose some inches, and feel better like my clients and myself have all experienced, definitely reflect on what your activity level currently is and think about adding in more walking. Don’t underestimate it. Consistency consistency consistency. And for those of you who have active jobs or are fairly active throughout the day already and ARE getting them steps in, DON’T underestimate the good that it is already doing for you. If you switched from an active job to a more sedentary one, you’d percent feel the effects so do not think for one second that your daily routine is not recognized – you may just be one of the lucky ones that gets paid to move at the same time Killin two birds with one stone. Embrace it.
Get out there, get moving, and keep moving.
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