Walk your way to a healthier life

SALT LAKE CITY — Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to exercise more? Maybe you just want to get out of a sedentary lifestyle and start moving more. In that case, try a walking routine.

Let’s Get Moving host Maria Shilaos spoke with Dr. Julia Kammel, a sports medicine physician with Intermountain Health, to learn how we can walk our way to better health with just a few simple steps.

According to Kammel, walking can help strengthen your immune system, relieve arthritis pain, manage diabetes and high blood pressure, and more.

“We encourage everyone to walk as much as they’re able to, even if they can just walk three minutes a day,” Kammel said. “It doesn’t have to be all at once.”

What does a healthy walking routine look like?

To start, get a pair of shoes that are comfortable and not too tight. And make sure you’re well hydrated before the walk.

“Something that some people may not think about or focus on is just having a relaxed body posture, letting the shoulders drop, and looking forward with the chin up so your neck doesn’t get tired during the walking,” Kammel said.

Kammel also suggested loosening up the muscles and gently rolling your feet so that you’re not putting too much pressure on your joints.

Walking inside vs. walking outside

You can take walks practically anywhere depending on what works best for you. If you love the outdoors, take your walk outside.

“Getting a little bit of sunlight can be very helpful for your circadian rhythm, and being around nature can be incredibly helpful for your mood as well,” Kammel said.

If you prefer to walk on a treadmill at your neighborhood gym, that works just as well.

Does distance matter?

Both short – and long–distance walks have their own benefits. However, Kammel said the intensity of the walk is more important than the distance, which is why she encouraged brisk walking.

“Even if you’re doing short walks but maybe you’re walking a little bit faster, that can be really helpful for your health,” Kammel said.

In order to reach the ideal level of intensity, it helps to not push too much too fast, but just enough.

“A good guide for that is trying to push it enough so that you can still carry on a conversation, but you’re a little bit out of breath while you’re trying to do it,” Kammel said.