The Healing Power of Walking

In this video, I discuss the incredible, healing power of walking.

Walking is no doubt the most fundamental human movement. This is our main mode of locomotion and transport - it's how we get from A to B.

And yet, there is very little discussion surrounding walking across YouTube or the web at large. This is a huge error, in my opinion, given just how much we stand to benefit from focussing on our walking.

Walking serves as a fantastic way to burn calories and get the blood flowing during the day. As an activity, it is gentle enough that nearly anyone can do it, and it serves as a perfect form of recovery. By walking, we get more blood flow to the muscles, thereby helping us to get back in the gym faster.

Walking also has a huge number of mental health benefits, especially if you walk somewhere scenic that you haven't been before.

But more than all this, walking can also be a perfect way to rehearse healthy movement patterns and to practice contralateral movement. Walking *correctly* that is. Which is a whole can-of-worms!

[hopesgrandchild]

We adopted a dog because we walk so regularly. Our whole family walks together. Our oldest struggled with mental health and we discovered she would open up when we walked. We started "walk and talk" sessions. Walking clearly helps in a multitude of ways. We value it so much. Thanks for covering this. Love from us in Illinois, USA.

[mactireliath]

I’m combatting ankle stiffness, nothing feels better than walking. Slow and deliberate barefoot stepping on natural uneven terrain is an incredibly nurturing sensation.

[admacjo]

Daily long walks with no real objective have been the most powerful and sustained method of improving my mental health that I've ever utilized. I got into it to help with the restlessness after losing a loved one, and it will be a part of my life for as long as I'm able. Thanks for putting so much effort into your videos about these movement patterns that are easy to take for granted.

[Iracus]

I started walking to work and back for a year now. 15.000 steps a day. Best thing I ever did.

[bogili]

Man, I feel like the production quality of this channel increases with each new video, great job Adam and Grant, proud to be a part of your growth!

[enigmabloom]

Walking was the only reason why the lockdowns never got to me. In the beginning of the pandemic, it was the one thing that helped me clear my mind.

[theskateboardingaccountant]

My grandmother walked a mile every day up to her death at 95. It’s definitely something I do every day. Good stuff.

[heavenlydenied]

For me, personally, walking has helped me improve my mental health. When I go out for a walk, without my headphones on and with the attention of being mindful and present, I connect with nature, people and other things I see around me. i also end up connecting with myself as I find that time very useful for self reflection.

[tomasfabian]

I’ve started my fitness journey with walking and I haven’t found a better essential exercise yet. It’s great for weight loss and mental clarity, it’s super easy and it gives you a head start if you want to start running as you can progress with it by walking in hills or shift from running to walking during your workout. Now walking is the first thing I do in the morning (30 min.) and in the afternoon (1-2 hours). And it’s way more fun if you walk in nature.

[Spider-Cop]

Walk an hour to work every morning, not because I have to but out of choice, LOVE WALKING!

[nelsoncaraballo]

Started for fitness but it's turned into pleasure. Seeking out new locations and parts of town. Meeting great folks and learning new places to visit. It's amazing what we discover when we slow down and are not passing things at 60+ miles an hour.

[dimensiepoort]

I used to walk everyday during my depression. Sometimes up to 4 hours. Realy helped me feel better and reconnect. Being in nature and hearing the nature as well, realy helped me. Still walk regularly!

[Jake-vgmw]

So glad to hear someone talk about this, too many people see walking as a way to get from point A to point B, people think i'm mad for choosing to walk even in the rain, but to me I find it meditative putting 1 foot mindlessly in front of the other and just natural. My mind wanders and thinks about things I wouldn't think about elsewhere, or even finds solutions to questions I didn't have answers to or couldn't remember. I walk 30 minutes to the gym and 30 minutes back, that's 1 hour of relaxation and fresh air with an active mind but to most people i'm just wasting time when I could be making the journey quicker.

[charleszammit]

I walk 10000 steps early morning 5.15am and end up hearing mass at 7am Been doing this for ten years When i miss for a a couple of days cause of flu I compensate following days But this is rare Winter Summer hot or cold Christmas and New Year I dont care Walking sets your mind at rest God willing i be 80 this year I follow a strict diet of no sugar anf very low carbs My BMI is 22 and 6 feet tall God bless you all

[tomludlam]

I walk my dog every day, it's great, even when it's raining. You feel so much better afterwards. It really is the most underrated movement

[drago]

Amazing how your coach always tells you to "walk it off"

[D_Jilla]

I haven't watched the video yet, but the title alone validates my love for this very unsexy exercise. I may tell people that calisthenics is my favorite form of training because it's different and interesting, but honestly, walking will always be my favorite exercise.

[Shuttuko]

I ended up buying a high-end treadmill to continue walking here in Minnesota during the frozen months (half the year). I started walking 10K steps every day last summer and finally had the success in weight loss I've been chasing for years. My mind was also clearer and I noticed I had more mental acuity than ever before. The line of advice that helped me start walking and want to stick with it was something along the lines of "Your 1 hour of training will not outdo 8 hours of sitting." My job necessitates me sitting all day, but I make it a point to get at least 1 hour of walking in per day in addition to strength training. It's my time to unwind and destress from a bad day or meditate and be creative. 100% the #1 exercise I'd recommend to anybody regardless of their goals.

[friendlyneighbor]

EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS

I bought both ebooks "SuperFunctional Training" (1.0 and 2.0) and I can say, as a sedentary home office worker, ..
my life changed. For so long I believed that working out 2-3 times a week is going to re-balance all the sitting.
God I was wrong.

First of all: Print out the PDFs and take it with you like a bible (no religious offense to anyone). Study it. Read chapters over and over again to really fully understand and internalize what it means to become (super)functional.

For me, my whole mindset changed and now my days are constantly coupled with stretches, strength training and other exercises between meetings, lunch and evening chill out. During the day I am more awake, my body is always warm and my heart and lungs are not working on the bare minimum because I am no longer sitting for 8 hours straight. NO MORE.

I CHANGE MY ENVIRONMENT AND THEREFORE I AM CHANGING!

Walking past by the pull-up bar?
I go for a pull-up.

Waiting for colleagues joining the Teams call?
I go for 20 squats.

Brushing my teeth?
I chill out in my deep squat.

Playing with my cat?
I play like a lizard crawling in my living room.

On my way to press the snooze button?
I go for some gentle stretches in my bed and start the day.

I finally understand the concept of "If you are moving, you are improving"

Before this text gets so long that nobody will ever read everything (btw, thanks if you made it till here) I just want to say thank you Adam aka The Bioneer. After trying many things, I finally found it - a training (well, almost life) philosophy.

[GUISNIP]

Have started walking first thing every morning at 5am, as per Huberman’s suggestion, after suffering pulmonary embolism last year (jab induced). It’s changed my life!