WALK THIS WAY

A FEW YEARS BACK, IF YOU MENTIONED WALKING AS A BONA FIDE EXERCISE YOU MIGHT JUST HAVE BEEN SNEERED AT BY YOUR FELLOW STEP AEROBICS AFICIONADOS. BUT WALKING, IT SEEMS, IS NOW IN AN EXERCISE LEAGUE OF ITS OWN.

Words: SALLY DIXON

IF YOU’VE been following our fitness series in previous issues, then you’ll already know that exercise is the key to a healthier life. When it comes to walking, we’re not short of a catchy quote or two – take Joseph Joubert’s: “The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk”, or Greg Norman’s: “Happiness is a long walk with a putter.”

I’m a walking convert. Since moving to London in the early 90s, I’ve become an all-out professional at the London power walk. The constant need to be somewhere at a pace of a million miles an hour is de riguer in London. Needless to say, I get some strange looks back in my hometown in Yorkshire, or on the streets of the Algarve, when I’m pounding the pavements like my life depends on it. I can’t help it; it’s ingrained in me.

A day of meetings and errands in London guarantees me at least 10,000 steps without even thinking about it. Result. Many of us are probably aware of the 10,000 daily step goal, but where does it come from? Turns out it might not be scientific fact but may actually have been introduced as a piece of marketing by a Japanese pedometer brand in the 1960s. Now that I’ve burst your 10,000-step bubble, what is it about walking that is so beneficial to our health?

Tell me you haven’t swapped step count data with a friend just to see if you’ve beaten them for the day?! I must admit I was pretty miffed when newly-released research found that 10,000 steps a day might not be the Top Trump (if you know, you know) of daily exercise we think it is, and that 6,000 will suffice. A whole 4,000 steps fewer of the wonderful benefits of walking. Do we as a population need any more excuses to not exercise? I don’t think so. 10,000 sounds meaty, it feels like an achievement for the day. It’s about one hour and 40mins of walking, and something you don’t have to do all in one go.

However, I get that a 6,000-step goal is more achievable and feels a lot more attainable for the wider (non power walking) population. So, that recently released research could be the bearer of good news for us after all.

The 2022 meta-analysis of eight studies comprising 20,152 adults over the age of 18 looked at step count per day and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related events over an average follow up of 6.2 years. The meta-analysis reported that in adults over 60 years of age, chalking up a step count of between 6,000-9,000 steps a day was associated with up to 50% lower risk of CVD compared to those who took around 2,000 steps per day. Other research shows that a short walk after eating may also help lower our blood sugar response to the meal. Hurrah for walking!

Health benefits aside, you can’t deny that the Algarve is set up when it comes to walking. Well known for its stunning costal cliffs, expansive beaches, natural surroundings, charming villages and towns, and wonderfully picturesque countryside. Walking is one of the best ways to soak up the culture of Portugal and get in touch with nature at its most beautiful. Whether solo or in a group, walking is food for the soul. Tell me a day when you went out for a walk and thought: “Well, I absolutely hated that”. I’ll wait. Even if it’s just for ten minutes to tear yourself away from a busy workday and clear your head, the stress relieving benefits of walking are abundant.

If 6,000 steps seem totally out of reach for you then build up to it low and slow. Make walking an adventure, rather than a chore or something that needs to be ticked off the todo list. Can you walk somewhere local today that you might have otherwise used transport to get to? Can you turn a coffee date into a walking date? A work meeting into a work stroll? As the writer John Muir so wisely wrote: “In every walk with nature, one receives far more then he seeks.”