Share

Brisk walking is best exercise of all, study finds

Now, this study is correlational, so we can’t say for sure that walking is better for you than running.

Advertisement

Briskly walking resulted in lower BMI when compared to doing other exercises and playing sports.

If you want to lose weight but hate the gym, here’s a few good news – a brisk stroll is better than a workout, a study says.

And the study suggests almost eight in 10 are failing to meet government targets of 150 minutes or more of moderate intensity exercise a week.

Researchers in London found that people who walk regularly for more than 30 minutes have lower body mass index numbers-and smaller waists- than those who go to engage in regular exercise.

Researchers conclude “promote walking as a potentially effective way to tackle obesity rather than public health messages on healthy diets”.

Walking deemed as “high impact” is said to be particularly effective for women and both men and women over the age of 50.

Dr Grace Lordan, a specialist in health economics who led the research, examined reported physical activity levels from the annual Health Survey for England (HSE) from 1999 to 2012.

In the United Kingdom, where the study was done, 32 million adults are overweight – roughly 60 percent of the adult population – and 12.5 million of these are obese.

Dr Lordan, writing in the journal Risk Analysis, said: “Given the obesity epidemic and the fact that a large proportion of people in the United Kingdom are inactive, recommending that people walk briskly more often is a cheap and easy policy option”.

Advertisement

‘Additionally, there is no monetary cost to walking so it is very likely that the benefits will outweigh the costs.

Want to lose weight but hate the gym? We have some VERY good news