Daily walking increases metabolism by burning extra calories and by preventing muscle loss, Research shows that regular walking actually modifies your nervous system so much that you’ll experience a decrease in anger and hostility,” One of the major ways that walking can improve your heart health is by lowering your blood pressure. Some research shows that for every 1,000 daily steps you take, you could lower your systolic blood pressure by .45 points. That means if you clock in 10,000 daily steps, your systolic blood pressure is likely to be 2.25 points lower than someone else who walks only 5,000 daily steps.
If you want to walk daily for exercise, start slowly, and progressively increase your duration and frequency. Once you can walk as long and as frequently as you’d like, you can increase the intensity (3Trusted Source). If you’re just starting, walking fast for a long time can leave you fatigued, sore, and unmotivated. Instead, you may want to start by walking for 5–15 minutes 2 or 3 times a week at a comfortable pace. When you are ready to increase your walking duration, frequency, or intensity, consider your age, fitness level, and prior experience. Youth and young adults can typically increase their activity in small amounts every week, while older adults can typically increase their activity every 2 to 4 weeks to prevent injury (3Trusted Source). People who typically have a low activity level might consider increasing their activity at a slower rate to reduce injury risk. Also, consider whether your past fitness experiences have shown that certain progression rates make you susceptible to injury (3Trusted Source).