Walking as a medication?  Or even better than a medication?

When it comes to keeping pounds off from as we age, walking is better than any pill out there.  We’ve known for a long time that runners keep their weight off as the years progress, but what about walkers?    

Until recently, there really hadn’t been any research that demonstrated the effect of walking on weight gain age-related weight gain, but a recent study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that a regular walking can have significant effects on preventing the weight gain associated with aging.

Participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development for Young Adults (CARDIA) Study were 18-30 years old when the study began and were re-examined after 2, 5, 7, 10 and 15 years.  After accounting for calorie intake and other factors, there was a strong association between walking and the prevention of weight gain; people who walked were less likely to gain weight, and there was predictable dose-response.  The more that people walked, the more likely they were to keep off the pounds; two hours of walking per week was better than none, and four hours of walking per week was even better.

There isn’t a pill out there that can even come close to showing that kind of benefit.  Commercial weight loss pills are associated with a risk for significant, serious adverse events and their effect seems to plateau at around 3-5 lbs. of weight loss, even when taken over an extended period of time.  Walking is free, safe, and the more you do of it, the more benefit you derive.  Of course, you’ll want to make sure you walk in a safe place, wear a good pair of shoes that fit you well, and take appropriate precautions with sunscreen, a water bottle, and reflective clothing for nighttime conditions.

Our bodies are literally made to walk and perhaps that’s the reason walking is the exercise of choice for 70% of people.  How does walking make you feel?  Let me hear from you.   And if you aren’t sure, then I’d like to have you strap on a comfortable pair of shoes and let me know.