Health benefits of walking

• Burns almost as many calories as jogging
• Eases back pains
• Slims your waist
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces levels of bad cholesterol
• Reduces heart attack risk
• Enhances stamina & energy
• Lessens anxiety & tension
• Improves muscle tone
• Easy on your joints
• Reduces appetite
• Increases aerobic capacity
• Can be done in short bouts
• Slows down osteoporosis bone loss
• Can be done when you're traveling

Nordic walking does the same, but you burn more calories.

Walking is probably the safest exercise you can do. It doesn't require prior training or conditioning and doesn't involve a great deal of physical exertion in the beginning. Studies have even shown that due to the design of our body, walking is more natural than sitting, standing or running, and walking is not as stressful to the body as other exercises.

For example, running is much more stressful on the heart and joints and leads to many more injuries. The shock impact of a runner's step is 3-4 times a person's weight, while walking is only 1.5. Some sports like basketball and tennis can have a shock force of 7 times a person's weight.
While walking is easier on your body, it can be just as beneficial as running in helping you lose weight. If you run for 30 minutes at 8 km/h you will burn about 285 calories. If you walk for 30 minutes at 6.5 km/h you will burn 165 calories on a level surface, 225 on a slight incline of 5%, and 360 calories on a 10% incline.