A Word About Walking–and Why You Should Read This
20 years ago, when I was starting out as a journalist, I got a job as a staff writer for Diabetes Health, a magazine for people with diabetes and the doctors who treat them. Since the readers (those who subscribed) were both patients and doctors, the health articles and writing style needed to be clear enough for everyone to understand but informative and relevant enough for doctors. I would scour the headlines of healthcare journals, news wires and magazine articles for both the latest breaking research and larger trends in the field of diabetes care. I quickly discovered that cramming my mind non-stop eight hour a day with health information was my jam. Soy pasta was low in carbohydrates? A chemical found in most shampoos caused hair loss? Keeping kids away from germs actually increased their chance of developing type 1 diabetes?! There was so much cool, real-world health data out there to learn!
One medical study that instantly wowed me was a study concluding that 20 minutes of walking a few times a week not only lowered your risk of getting type 2 diabetes but could actually help treat it as well.
WALKING. FOR 20 MINUTES. THAT’S IT.
Not high impact running. Not hot yoga or, spare me please, speed stationary biking. Anyone with mobility could do it.
Since then, I’ve cited that study countless times to friends, family and acquaintances at dinners, events, even at ladies’ nights out. Most people I spoke to were not aware of the finding. And I don’t blame them. Even I—who studied dance and grew up eating healthy vegetarian food—didn’t find out about it until it was literally MY JOB to research health topics and write about them. In general, in the United States, we don’t learn enough about the importance of healthy lifestyle choices, whether it be at school, in the workplace or at home.
The study opened my eyes to the extent of the importance of exercise—that easy, low impact movement not only prevents disease but treats it as well.
The moral of the story? Get out there and walk in which way you can find a way: power walk, stroll, go shopping, walk while having a coffee date with a friend, walk with your kids while they game on their cell phones if you have to—any form of walking works. If you’re having a down day, take a walk. If you’re having a busy day, find 20 minutes to walk.
PUT IN YOUR STEPS.
Trust me. I trust science. And science says walking can save your life.
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Final thoughts:
For those of you who don’t know exactly how type 2 diabetes works, more information can be found on the Amercian Diabetes Association (ADA) web site. If you want to know more about healthy eating to help prevent/manage type 2 diabetes, here is more Information about healthy eating on the ADA web site.
Here are some recent evidence-based sources showing the benefits of walking to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes.
1. Moghetti, Balducci, Guidetti et al. Walking for subjects with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and joint AMD/SID/SISMES evidence-based practical guideline – ScienceDirect. Nutr Metab Cardiovas Dis. 2020; 30: 18820189
2. American Diabetes Association. Benefits of Walking. Accessed 12/6/22.
3. Iwasaki, Kudo, Asahi, et al. Fast walking is a preventive factor against new-onset diabetes mellitus in a large cohort from a Japanese general population. Nature. 2021;11:716.
