Why Walking is Better Than Running

Walking and running are the two most natural forms of human movement. In this article, we go through eight science-backed reasons why walking beats running. 

We also go over practical ways to walk more, walk smarter, and make movement a permanent part of your life.

This article is from the Exercise section of our Library.

Running has a powerful image (or rather, a powerful marketing message). Marathons, 5K apps, government schemes and athletic wear campaigns have convinced much of the world that if you're not running, you're not really exercising.

But the evidence tells a more nuanced (and potentially a more optimistic) story. For the vast majority of adults, particularly those who are sedentary, older, overweight, managing a health condition, or simply time-pressed, walking can be the smarter choice.

1. The Health Benefits Are Pretty Similar

The most important thing to understand about walking versus running is that, calorie-for-calorie and distance-for-distance, they deliver strikingly similar health outcomes. 

A large study on 48,000 participants found that when total “energy expenditure” was matched, walking produced the same health benefits; reducing risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes by the same amount [1].

In practice, this means that you’ll need to walk further than you run (about 50% further for a brisk walk) to match the number of calories burned. But for most people, walking the extra distance is still more achievable and sustainable than running it.

2. The Injury Risk is Lower

When you run, you only have one foot on the ground, whatever the pace. With every stride, that foot absorbs the impact of over twice your body weight. During a long run, this means hundreds over impact per leg.

Injury rates among runners are comparatively high, with runner’s knee, shin splints, IT-band syndrome, stress fractures, Achilles tendonitis and jogger’s heel commonly reported [2].

By contrast, walking generates less than half the forces that running does, making it gentler on the bones, joints, tendons, and muscles. 

For people with arthritis, osteoporosis, obesity, or a history of lower limb injury, walking is not merely preferable to running — it may be the only safe option for some people.

Getting injured is just not about the pain (although that is important as well), it also derails momentum, your motivation, confidence and can set your fitness goals back even further.

Pro Tip

If you've been sedentary and want to start exercising, begin with 20 minutes of brisk walking four days a week before considering any running at all. Build your strength and stamina of your body first.

3. People Actually Stick to It

The rates at which people start and then stick to exercise are poor. Effort, exertion, and exhaustion all matter. Running is hard. For inactive people, exercise can feel unpleasant and a chore. 

Walking, at a self-selected pace, sits in an effort zone that more people will find sustainable, even enjoyable. Improving your health via exercise is built on consistency — months and years of it, not days.

A brisk 20-minute daily walk will have better health-promoting benefits than someone who runs hard three times a week, hates it, and quietly gives up in February. The best exercise is the one you actually do — and for most people, that is walking.

4. It's a Superior Fat-Burner

Running burns more calories per minute than walking, but that doesn’t automatically make it better for fat loss. At moderate walking intensities (< 65% max heart rate), your body uses fat as its primary fuel [3]. 

At higher intensities, the fuel shifts to carbohydrate. This means that if you burn the same calories, a brisk walk will burn more fat than a run.

Workout — Fat loss focused walk

60 minutes at a pace where you can speak in full sentences but feel warm and moderately breathless (about 100 steps per minute). Do this before breakfast, in a fasted state, three to four times per week.

5. It Fits Into Your Life Easier

You can walk to work, to the shops, to a friend’s house, to a meeting, or to the school drop-off — and in doing so, you’ll meaningfully add exercise into your daily life without the extra effort of setting time aside. No parking, no traffic, no changing room, gym bags or showers needed.

This is not trivial. One of the main reasons why people don’t exercise is time. Walking overcomes that barrier more effectively than other forms of movement.

“Active commuting” — walking or cycling to and from work — is linked to better health outcomes [4]. So, simply replacing your car or bus journey to work with a walk can meaningfully improve your health. You can’t run to the office in your work clothes, but you can walk.

Pro Tip

Map any regular journey you currently make by car, bus, or public transport and identify which ones fall within a 20–30 minute walking distance. Start replacing them one per day per week.

6. You Can Think, Talk, and Connect While You Do It

Running at a moderate-to-hard pace demands conscious effort and most of your attention; walking does not. This opens up a window of time to do other things that may make it more enjoyable (and potentially healthier).

Take “social walks” with friends or family, which double as both exercise and socialising. You can make business calls, listen to audiobooks or podcasts, take a “walking meeting” or just let your mind wander in a way that can promote creativity, problem-solving, or relieve stress. 

Walking (particularly outdoors) can improve mental health and your mood. A run in the park with your headphones in is pleasant. A slow walk, taking in your surroundings, using all your senses, is an entirely different (restorative) experience.

7. It's Good for Recovery

If high-intensity training like running, weightlifting, cycling, or sport is part of your routine already, walking can be used to help recovery.

Walking is a form of “active recovery” that promotes blood flow to the muscles without adding extra stress requiring recovery in itself. It has been shown to reduce delayed onset of muscle soreness (“DOMS”) and helps keep daily movement up on rest days [5].

Unlike complete rest, “active recovery” via walking keeps the body active, burning calories, without prolonging recovery any further. 

For this reason, many athletes will add a low-intensity walk to their programmes. For beginners and recreational exercisers, a 20-minute walk on rest days is nearly always better than doing nothing.

A "Recovery Workout"

The day after a hard training session, take a 20-30 minute easy walk at a comfortable, conversational pace. Aim for flat terrain and focus on relaxed breathing.

8. Everyone can walk — not everyone can run

For people who are overweight or obese, joint loading during exercise can become an issue. The same goes for older adults. 

People with cardiovascular health issues, joint replacements, chronic pain conditions, or other disabilities, at best, will have difficulty running, and at worst, it can risk hospitalisation.

Running can be intimidating for beginners, and it can feel performative in public, whereas walking doesn’t. Virtually anyone can walk. 

It can be done at any age, any fitness level, body size or (almost) any health condition. It requires no technique, no equipment, no special clothing, no warm-up, and no recovery window.

The barrier to entry is zero. An 85-year-old with osteoarthritis and a 25-year-old athlete can both benefit from the same daily walk — and that “universality” is perhaps walking's most underrated quality. No other exercise comes close.

How to Walk More

Target

Aim for 7,000–10,000 steps per day as a baseline health goal, with at least 30 minutes spent at a brisk pace (100+ steps per minute) [6].

Beginner plan

Start with three 10-minute brisk walks per day, ideally after meals. Build to a single continuous 30-minute walk within four weeks.

Intermediate plan

7,000 steps daily plus one longer 60-minute weekend walk on varied terrain. Add gentle hills to increase difficulty without impacting stress.

Advanced/performance walking

Try “Nordic walking” using poles (which is better for health and fitness [7]), interval walks alternating between brisk and easy pace, or weighted vest walking for additional resistance.

To accumulate more steps daily

Take the stairs, park further away, get off public transport one stop early, walk during phone calls, schedule a lunchtime walk as a non-negotiable diary appointment.

The Takeaways

Running has its place, and for those who love it and tolerate it well, it remains an excellent form of exercise. 

But for the majority of adults who have time pressures, ageing joints, fluctuating motivation, and competing demands, walking is the more practical, sustainable, and effective exercise. Walk consistently, walk briskly, walk often, walk with purpose, and walk your way to better health.

Sources

1. Williams PT, Thompson PD. Walking versus running for hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus risk reduction. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2013;33(5):1085–1091. PMID: 23559628

2. van Gent RN et al. Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries in long distance runners: a systematic review. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2007;41(8):469–480. PMID: 17473005

3. Achten J, Jeukendrup AE. Optimizing fat oxidation through exercise and diet. Nutrition. 2004;20(7–8):716–727. PMID: 15212756

4. Celis-Morales CA et al. Association between active commuting and incident cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality. BMJ. 2017;357:j1456.PMID: 28424154

5. Dupuy O et al. An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Front Physiol. 2018 Apr 26;9:403. PMID: 29755363

6. Ding D et al. Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health. 2025 Aug;10(8):e668-e681. PMID: 40713949

7. Takeshima N et al. Effects of nordic walking compared to conventional walking and band-based resistance exercise on fitness in older adults. J Sports Sci Med. 2013 Sep 1;12(3):422-30. PMID: 24149147

Further Reading

1. Does Exercise Lower Blood Pressure

2. What is VO2max & How to Improve It

3. Does Exercise Help Anxiety?

Written by the Alphabet Guides Editorial Team

Lead Author: PhD Exercise Physiologist ✅

Published: 23 March 2026

Our aim is to provide independent, evidence-based, transparent, accurate and reliable information you can trust. Learn more about our Editorial Standards.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified healthcare professional.