We all complain about how long our walks to class are. I know, because I would be the first to complain. I often use this as an excuse when going to the gym. I look at it as I did a lot of work with my legs today, so when at the gym, I do not need to workout my legs. Am I right? Or is this just a lame excuse used to avoid leg workouts at the gym. I suspect this is just an excuse and that walking does not do much for your body, and your legs in general. So I wonder: is walking enough physical activity to stay healthy? Contrary to my thought, according to many sources, walking for as little as 20 minutes per day can be life changing.

A study led by Ulf Ekelund from The Cambridge University, found that minimal exercise can make an immense impact on the health of an individual. The observational study focused on a large group of 334,000, and consistently showed walking for 20 minutes a day “would cut the risk of premature death by almost a third” (Daily Mail). The study concluded as little as 20 minutes of walking could add several years onto one’s life span. It asserts that 676,000 out of 9.2 million recorded European deaths could be blamed on inactivity (Daily Mail). With such a small amount of exercise going such a long way, it is mind boggling how individuals do not stay active. Assuming the study was well done, the findings are eye opening.

I do not like observational studies as a basis for certainty, but performing an experiment on this topic over a long period of time would be difficult. I can not envision a long-term experiment for this topic because you can not simply force people to not be active. A short-term study could be performed, but it would still be difficult because 20 minutes of exercise is a pretty minimal amount. With the limitations the researchers faced, the only change I would have made to the study was the follow up time. The mean follow-up time was 12.4 years, which in my opinion is too long. I would much rather the study keep constant observation on the individuals, checking in every year or every two years. Since the study focused on the effects on life span, the long layoff between check ups does make sense.

In addition to this study, there are other findings that agree with the position, especially as one increases in age. According to Michael A. Schwartz, walking also shores up your bones. Again, his study was observational so it is hard to say with certainty, but the evidence is consistent with the conclusion that “30 minutes of walking each day reduced their risk of hip fractures by 40 percent” (Arthritis Foundation).  Also, according to a study done by the University of Virginia School of Medicine, researchers found that walking is associated to a reduced risk of dementia. These two studies clearly suggest that walking is extremely beneficial, especially as one approaches older ages. The studies, especially the dementia study appear to be very well done,which would suggest that the studies are reliable and accurate.

The only problem I have with the studies cited are the fact that they are observational studies, not experiments. While they clearly show a correlation between walking and increased life span, reduced dementia, and shoring up bones, they do not show why. Confounding variables, such as other activities an individual takes part in, could also contribute toward the findings. It would be very difficult, if possible at all, to run an experiment to figure out if causation exists between the variables. In the end, I do believe walking, and exercise in general, is very good for you. I’m not a believer in 20 minutes of walking making a huge difference. I think that more exercise than just 20 minutes of walking is necessary to increase one’s health, but 20 minutes is a good start.

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