Is Walking Enough for Women Over 40?
The Bearer of Bad News
Walking is probably the MOST common form of exercise among women.
But is it enough?
Yes…and no.
The truth is, many women in midlife rely on walking as their only form of exercise.
And while getting out for a daily walk is wonderful (and absolutely better than nothing), it doesn’t cover all the bases your body needs to stay strong and healthy at this stage of life.
Walking alone won’t protect you from midlife health issues like osteoarthritis, sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), osteoporosis, or even heart disease.
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself…
JUST ONE THING
I love my daily walks—they’re one of my favorite healthy habits.
But I don’t count on them as my primary form of exercise.
My primary focus is on strength and mobility!
Your JUST ONE THING to add to Walking
Prioritize strength and mobility exercises
Going for walks and getting your steps in every day has plenty of benefits:
• Easy to Start: You can step outside and start walking anytime—no gym required.
• Great for Stress Relief: Walking triggers your parasympathetic nervous system, helping you de-stress.
• Improves Blood Sugar: Especially when done after meals.
• Adds Extra Movement: Helps prevent long periods of being sedentary
But here’s the downside of ONLY walking:
• Limited mobility – Walking only moves your hips, knees, and ankles in a small, repetitive range of motion, and barely moves your shoulder joints at all. Over time, these joints will get stiffer and you’ll start to lose a lot of your mobility, if you’re not working on it in other ways.
• No muscle growth – After the first few weeks, walking isn’t enough stimulus to build or maintain muscle mass. And having lots of muscle mass is probably THE MOST important thing for your health as you get older.
• Repetitive stress – High repetitions (like 2,000 steps per mile) can strain weak tendons or misaligned joints, leading to overuse injuries like IT band pain, plantar fasciitis, or hip bursitis.
When you bump strength and mobility work to the top of your priority list, and use walking as your accessory (or extra) mode of fitness, your entire body will instantly feel younger and healthier.Here’s an easy workout to add to your daily walks to make sure you’re building crucial muscle and improving your mobility.
Quick & Easy 10 Minute Workout for Women Over 40 (no equipment!)
- Staggered Squats, Bent-Over T’s, Lateral Skater Hops, Marching Bridges – 8/side for each
- Hip Flexor Stretch, Hamstring Stretch – 20–30 sec/side for each
Extra Tip: Alternate between doing this simple full body workout on one day and a strong, brisk walk the next. Then include stretching every day if you can! (Don’t want to figure it out yourself? These follow-along programs that you can do at home remove all the guesswork!)
Did You Know...
- Experiencing hot flashes and increased fat mass in menopause? Any exercise is better than nothing, but resistance training has been shown to be more effective at reducing these symptoms than aerobic exercise like brisk walking.
- Resistance training that includes balance work is critical for lowering fall risk and maintaining independence for post-menopausal women with low bone density.
- The joints most likely to lose mobility — and lead to more injury risk and less function — as you age are your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. Walking alone won’t maintain their mobility because it doesn’t allow them to move through their full range of motion.
Until next week... Be strong💪
