What Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Walk Regularly, According to Health Experts

Key Takeaways

• Walking regularly helps maintain muscle strength, balance, and mobility, which are essential for staying independent as you age.
• Physical inactivity, including not walking enough, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic health issues.
• Regular walking can improve mental health by reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety and enhancing overall emotional well-being.

Walking is such an integral part of many people’s daily movements and routines that it is often overlooked. But health experts consider walking an important part of maintaining optimal physical and mental health. When you don’t walk regularly, over time, this reduced movement can affect muscle function, mobility, balance, cardiovascular and metabolic health, mood, and even your ability to remain independent as you age. That doesn’t mean missing a few walks will suddenly harm your health. The concern is what happens when walking is replaced by prolonged sitting or other sedentary behavior. Here’s what can happen when walking and general movement gradually disappear from your routine.

1. Your Cardiovascular Health Can Decline

Any form of exercise, including regular walking, requires your heart and lungs to work harder to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. When you move your body less, your cardiovascular system becomes less active, which can cause its function to decline. 1

It has been shown that physical inactivity is associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) report that people who do not get enough physical activity have an estimated 20 to 30% higher risk of death compared to those who are regularly physically active.1

Incorporating regular physical activity, like walking, is a key part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and cardiovascular system.

2. Your Muscles May Become Weaker

Without regular physical activity, muscles are not required to work as hard, leading to muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass over time. Walking and other forms of exercise maintain strength in many muscle groups, including the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves.2

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) notes that physical activity, such as walking, is important for maintaining mobility and independence. Weaker muscles can make everyday tasks and movements more challenging and increase the risk of injuries.2

3. Your Balance May Become More Unsteady

Not only does walking work your muscles and cardiovascular system, but it also helps with balance, coordination, and weight shifting. When people stop moving regularly, they can lose some of the physical capacity that moves feel natural. 

The WHO reports that regular physical activity helps adults maintain better functional health and reduces the risk of falls caused by loss of balance. While this doesn’t mean that walking alone provides everything a person needs for maintaining good balance and coordination, regular walking can be an important part of keeping the body accustomed to moving.1

4. Your Metabolic Health Can Worsen

Less movement also means fewer opportunities for the body to expend energy through muscle activity. When this occurs, sugar tends to stay in the blood rather than being sent to working muscles for immediate use or stored for later.1

When blood sugar remains elevated due to insufficient physical activity, there is an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other metabolic problems. The WHO identifies physical inactivity as an established risk factor for type 2 diabetes and notes that regular physical activity can help manage many chronic diseases.1

5. Your Joints May Feel Stiffer

Regular physical activity helps maintain optimal physical function of both muscles and joints. Without regular movement, joints can become stiff, limiting the available range of motion that the body can move through. 

Even with joint issues like arthritis, regular physical activity, such as walking, can help. The NIA notes that older adults with arthritis who remain physically active can experience less pain and better physical function and quality of life. Walking, in particular, is low-impact and easy on the joints.3

6. Your Mood May Change

Physical activity is closely connected with mental health. The WHO reports that regular physical activity can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve overall well-being. The NIA similarly identifies physical activity as beneficial for emotional health, noting potential improvements in depression, anxiety, sleep, and overall emotional well-being.1 2

That means that when regular movement, like walking, disappears, a person may lose some of the mood-related benefits they previously received from being active.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

See your healthcare provider or physical therapist if you need help with aches and pains that prevent you from moving well or walking to help you get started and tailor a program for you.

Source: www.verywellhealth.com