It’s perhaps one of the most frequent recommendations we make on agebuzz: Keep moving and keep walking. The data is incontrovertible when it comes to the health value of walking: To support, maintain and even improve your physical, emotional, and cognitive health, it’s essential that you regularly and consistently walk, even if just for short distances at a time. The good news is that most of us have gotten the message. Reports show that current recreational walking rates have surpassed the levels of pre-pandemic times and that 145 million of us now regularly walk as part of our physical activity each day. Moreover, that’s apparently how nature intended us to be. Over millions of years our species has evolved to become very good at walking, and we continue to find out more about its health benefits. One thing is crystal clear: “We are not adapted to be sedentary critters, and we are not adapted to sit on our couches and look at our screens.” Being able to walk has evolved as an essential aspect of what makes us modern humans.

That’s not to say that we all can’t use a little encouragement now and then. Walking may not be the first thing that comes to mind with the aches and pains we feel as we age, especially in our legs and knees. We may think that babying ourselves or limiting our movement is the way to go when knee pain flares up. However, that instinct would be wrong as it appears that exercise and movement offer enormous benefits when it comes to knee health, and new research shows just how valuable walking can be when osteoarthritis is present in your knees. According to a new study in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology, walking can reduce pain in arthritic knees and even slow the progression of knee osteoarthritis. Given the limited treatment for this “wear-and-tear” type of arthritis (with the cartilage in your knees gradually wearing away) the idea that walking could be beneficial offers significant hope and potential benefit (along with an easy and free solution) to the millions who suffer from this. Since about ⅓ of adults over 60 have knee osteoarthritis, that’s a lot of potential benefit to be gained. To find out more, lace up your walking shoes and click here and here.

Despite these health benefits, some of us may still need encouragement, companions, or even celebrity examples of why walking makes sense for us. One geriatric kinesiologist (a health professional focusing on human movement) says she’s convinced the secret to ensuring older adults walk is to have a companion, either a family member, friend, or even a trained walking companion (she started her own walking companion company to help!). Some of us need group encouragement or even competition to urge us along. So perhaps you can seek out a walking group by going to the website of the American Volkssport Association (billed as “America’s Walking Club”) to find a local group event near you. Or maybe you like popular challenges, such as this month’s 30-Day Walking Challenge from the Today Show? With explanations for how to gradually build up your walking strategy each week, which includes your mind as well as your body, it’s an easy way to tap into this increasingly popular activity. And if you need more positive proof about the value of walking, take a look at the inspirational weatherman Al Roker, who’s the leading cheerleader for this 30-Day Walking Challenge and himself has lost over 45 pounds within the last several months (following a gastric bypass surgery 2 decades ago) by reducing his carbs and taking a daily walk. Like Al, you may not be a natural athlete but hopefully, know by now the health value of that daily movement. As Al makes clear, “I know I need to exercise. For some people, exercise is like breathing; for others, like me, it takes effort. Exercising is what I need for my metabolism and for a better sense of well-being.”