Category: exercise

Walktober: Why a Little More Walking Goes a Long Way

Ever left the house feeling stressed, then returned from a walk with a clearer head? Or noticed how a short walk can give you a second wind when the afternoon slump hits?

There’s real science behind that feel-good effect. Walking sets off a range of physiological responses that can benefit your body and mind, both immediately and over time. And the best part about it? You don’t need a complicated routine or gym membership to reap the benefits.

With Walktober shining a spotlight on the benefits of walking this October, it’s the perfect opportunity to sneak a few more steps into your day – and here’s why those steps are worth taking. 

Small steps for a healthier heart

Just like any other muscle in your body, your heart benefits from regular exercise. When you walk, your heart beats a little faster to pump more oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. Over time, regular walking helps your heart work more efficiently, improving your cardiovascular fitness and making everyday activities like climbing stairs or walking uphill feel easier.

Regular walking can also help lower blood pressure, reducing the strain on your heart and blood vessels. This is particularly important because consistently high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health conditions, including heart attack and stroke.

And you don’t need to walk for hours to see a difference. A Cochrane review of 73 trials found that walking programmes reduced systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) by an average of around 4 mmHg, with most programmes involving around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity walking per week.

While that might sound like a small change, research involving around one million adults estimated that just 2 points lower across a middle-aged population could mean 10% fewer deaths from stroke and 7% fewer deaths from heart disease and other blood vessel conditions. Even modest reductions in blood pressure can make a meaningful difference to your long-term heart health.

Give your blood sugar a helping hand

When you eat, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar), which enters your bloodstream to provide energy for your cells. It’s normal for blood sugar to rise after a meal, but consistently high levels over time can damage blood vessels and nerves, affecting your heart, eyes and kidneys.

That’s where walking comes in. Think of your muscles as sponges for glucose: when you walk, they need more energy, so they absorb more glucose from your bloodstream, helping to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Even a short stroll after eating can make a difference. A review of eight small trials found that post-meal exercise, including walking, helped reduce blood sugar spikes compared with remaining inactive. Similarly, short walking breaks during prolonged sitting can improve blood sugar responses.

And the benefits don’t stop when your walk ends. Regular physical activity also helps your muscles become more responsive to insulin, the hormone that helps glucose enter your cells. Over time, this supports better blood sugar management and can help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Give your brain some breathing room

 

Walking also benefits your brain, supporting everything from your mood and stress levels to your memory and mental wellbeing.

For starters, a walk offers a break from screens, chores and the running to-do list. Sometimes, that change of scenery is exactly what you need. Physical activity boosts endorphins, your brain’s natural feel-good chemicals, which help ease pain and promote wellbeing. It can also increase BDNF, a protein that supports healthy brain cells and connections involved in learning and memory. 

These benefits can make a meaningful difference over time. A review involving more than 191,000 adults found that activity equivalent to 75 minutes of brisk walking a week was associated with an 18% lower risk of depression than no activity. At 150 minutes, the association was a 25% lower risk. 

Plus, there’s something satisfying about doing something for yourself. Following through on a small walking goal can build confidence, while a chat with a mate, or a friendly hello along the way, can help you feel more connected.

How much walking is enough?

While 10,000 steps a day is a popular target, you don’t need to reach it to experience meaningful health benefits.

A 2025 review found that walking around 7,000 steps per day, compared with 2,000, was associated with:

  • 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease
  • 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
  • 38% lower risk of dementia
  • 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms

While these findings don’t prove that walking alone causes these reductions, they highlight the strong relationship between daily movement and long-term health. And if tracking every step isn’t your jam, it may be more helpful to instead focus on how much time you spend moving in general. Australia’s 24-hour movement guidelines recommend that adults aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on most days, alongside regular light activity and breaks from prolonged sitting.

Make your next walk easy

Building a walking habit doesn’t have to mean making major changes to your routine. Start by choosing one or two of these simple ideas to try this week:

  • Make a plan. Set aside ten minutes for a walk after lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Having a specific time in mind makes it easier to follow through.
  • Break it up. You don’t need to do all your walking at once. Try a short stroll before work, a lap around the block on your lunch break or a walk after dinner.
  • Make it enjoyable. Invite a friend, listen to your favourite podcast or explore a new route. You’re more likely to stick with something you look forward to.
  • Plan for obstacles. Bad weather or a busy schedule doesn’t have to derail your plans. Try an indoor walk, take the stairs or fit in a few extra minutes of movement where you can.
  • Notice how you feel. Rather than focusing only on steps or distance, pay attention to your mood, energy levels and how you feel after a walk. These small improvements can be powerful motivators.

This Walktober, start with one small change. Whether it’s a ten-minute lunchtime stroll or an extra lap around the block, those steps could be the beginning of a healthier habit that lasts well beyond October.

Sources

Oja et al. (2018). Effects of frequency, intensity, duration and volume of walking interventions on CVD risk factors.

Heart Foundation. Blood pressure and heart health.

Lee et al. (2021). Walking for hypertension.

Lewington et al. (2002). Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality.

NIDDK. Diabetes.

Engeroff et al. (2023). After Dinner Rest a While, After Supper Walk a Mile?.

Buffey et al. (2022). The acute effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with standing and light-intensity walking.

Bird and Hawley (2017). Update on the effects of physical activity on insulin sensitivity in humans.

Röckl et al. (2008). Signaling mechanisms in skeletal muscle: acute responses and chronic adaptations to exercise.

Mayo Clinic. Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress.

Szuhany et al. (2015). A meta-analytic review of the effects of exercise on brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

Pearce et al. (2022). Association between physical activity and risk of depression.

Ding et al. (2025). Daily steps and health outcomes in adults.

Australian Government (2026). Australian 24-hour movement guidelines for adults and older adults.

Warm up for work. Your body will thank you.

Just like cranking a car, a warm up gets your body working and ready for the day ahead.

Many people think that warming up is done only before playing sport. This is not the case. Warming up prepares both the body and mind for more strenuous activity such as the tasks you perform every day at work.

Think about how you start your day: In the mornings our bodies are generally cool. We have been in bed for the past 8 hours, gotten up, had some breakfast and then driven to work – not really considered strenuous work. Therefore, the body and its muscles are not necessarily prepared to handle the work tasks ahead.

A warm up is a great, refreshing way to start your shift. Additionally, if you’ve just finished your lunch break, blood flow is being diverted from your muscles to your digestive tract to help you metabolise your food. Therefore, a brief warm up before you return to work will help you get the blood flowing back to your muscles and brain again – which leaves your mind and body ready for work. Similarly, if you’ve hit a mid-afternoon slump, try an afternoon warm up instead of a chocolate bar or coffee!

Some of the specific benefits of a short warm up include:

  • Fatigue busting: a warm up increases the hormones that help regulate energy production. An effective warm up can also initiate sweating signals which will improve the cooling mechanisms and assist in thermoregulation while they work. Both of these are excellent at helping to delay the onset of fatigue.
  • Heart: increased heart rate and improved blood flow from a warm up reduces cardiovascular strain and improves nutrient delivery to muscles and joints.
  • Brain: mental preparation can enhance task focus for improved efficiency and decreased accident risks.
  • Improved range of motion: more ‘elastic’ muscles make for less resistance and reduced internal strain on your joints. Movement also stimulates joint lubrication.
  • Muscle temperature: warmer muscles contract smoothly and more efficiently, reducing the risk of straining.

 

Preparing muscles for a day’s work can also alleviate seemingly unrelated body aches because a tight muscle in one spot can lead to pain in other areas.

For example, consider you are experiencing tight hamstrings. When hamstrings are tight it can lead to lower back, knee and hip pain. Tight hamstrings can prevent the knees from straightening or the pelvis from ‘untucking’. A tucked pelvis is the primary cause of pelvic floor disorders and lower back pain. For a strong pelvic floor and back pain relief, lengthening the hamstrings is a requirement.

In summary – Warming up before you start your day can help build and improve your muscle strength. It helps muscles become more pliable, flexible and ready for movement as well as increase blood flow. More blood means more oxygen to the muscles meaning they can work more efficiently at less risk of injury. In addition, the brain needs oxygen to function well so a warm up is also a great way to stay focused and mentally sharp.

 

 

Find out more – Would you like to learn more about how a proper warm up for work routine can benefit your workforce? Or are you ready to implement regular warm up for work routines? We can help educate your staff, train ‘warm up for work champions’ to run regular warm up for work routines, or we can deliver them for you. Chat to us today about the many options available.

Why walk or run? (aside from the fun)

“If exercise could be packed in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.”

– Dr. Robert Butler, founder of the National Institute of Aging.

 

Aside from diet, exercise is an extremely important factor in longevity. A large study of over 600,000 people found that those doing the recommended amount of exercise had a 20% lower risk of death than those who were physically inactive.

But you don’t have to hit the gym. Walking and running are great ways to improve or maintain your health. They are activities which require minimal equipment, are free or low cost, and can be done almost anywhere at whatever pace you feel comfortable with.

Regular walking or running improves aerobic fitness which make them very beneficial for cardiovascular health. If you are new to exercise, then it doesn’t need to be vigorous or lengthy in order to improve your health. Some studies have shown that inactive people that begun low levels of exercise – around 75 minutes of walking per week – improved their fitness levels significantly.

 

Aside from cardiovascular fitness, regular weight-bearing aerobic exercise like walking and running can:

  • strengthen bones, posture, and balance.
  • help manage body fat.
  • boost muscle power and endurance.
  • improve the management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain.
  • reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.

 

You may have heard of these physical health benefits before. But did you know regular aerobic exercise like walking and running also induce many physiological and psychological changes which help your mental health? Some of these include:

  • changes in your brain which help you become more resilient to stress.
  • improvements in working memory, focus, and task-switching abilities.
  • enhanced sleep quality and ability to focus during the day.
  • improved mood and decreased depressive symptoms.

 

So now you know the why, how do you get started? Just like a toddler, you should walk before you run. For beginner walkers, keep the following tips in mind:

  • Walk short distances – start with a five-minute stroll and slowly increase your distance.
  • Forget about speed – start off walking at a comfortable pace. Focus on maintaining good posture, by keeping your head lifted and shoulders relaxed.
  • Swing your arms naturally and breathe deeply. If you can’t catch your breath, slow down or avoid hills.
  • Be sure that you can talk while walking. If you can’t speak, you are walking too fast.
  • Spend 15 minutes exercising during your lunch break. You’ll eat less while clocking up more active minutes.

 

Becoming physically active after the age of 40 can reduce your risk of heart disease by 55%, compared to those who had been inactive all their lives. Get walking (then running) to reduce your risk.

 

Our group exercise sessions or fitness-based competitions are a great way to promote physical activity and health and wellness while generating enthusiasm and enjoyment amongst your employees. Sessions cater for all levels of fitness and strength to help your employees meet their overall wellness goals. Contact us to learn more.