Is Walking a Hobby? Here's What to Know

Starting a hobby can be intimidating, particularly when you don’t really know what qualifies as a hobby – which leads us to the question, “is walking a hobby?” Let’s talk about it…

Yep. Walking is definitely a hobby! We’re you expecting that? You should have. Hobbies are pretty much anything you find joy in doing. If walking brings you joy, it qualifies as your hobby! Now, whether or not you should considered walking as your new hobby or if something else would be better suited is a whole separate question and concern.

And, although it didn’t quite make our top picks list for the best hobbies for moms to start this year, it can work as a substitute for running – which requires you to have more physical ability than walking.

If you’re curious, keep reading. Here’s everything that you could possibly know about walking as a hobby and answer for yourself whether it deserves its spot amongst popular hobbies today:

What is Walking?

Yes, I’m going to tell you what walking is. Yes, I do already expect you to know, but there’s no harm in specifying. Walking is when you move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once.

Walking is typically restricted to a slower pace, at most a moderate one. Faster-paced movement is considered jogging or running.

Walking is a simple way of getting more physically active and is a great option no matter your age or gender. It also has many benefits for your brain and body, along with providing a mood boost and improving your cardiovascular health. As a mom who suffered experienced high blood pressure during my pregnancy, walking was much less a wanted hobby and more so a necessary hobby.

What Are the Benefits of Walking?

The benefits of walking are nearly limitless but are also limited. While you can experience many benefits, their effectiveness is capped. For example, you’ll only lose so much weight by walking forever versus integrating running or yoga into your routine. The same performance limits apply to mental health, you can only feel so much better by walking in nature versus really digging in and finding the root of your problem (maybe with the help of a therapist).

To keep it all easy to digest, I’m going to break it down into the mental and physical benefits of walking and maybe a touch of why it should influence your decision to make walking your new hobby:

The Mental Health Benefits of Walking

Did you know that even therapists use walking in their therapy? It can actually encourage clients to open up and feel more comfortable with them – a key part of helping their patients heal from their traumas.

The mental health benefits of walking include:

Lowers your stress and anxiety levels
Reduces the risk of clinical depression
Improves your body confidence
Benefits your sleep routine
Brings in more opportunities to make connections and be social
It’s a natural mood booster
Can give you a boost of energy

The Physical Health Benefits of Walking:

If you’re doctor never told you to take a walk, you were way more active than me – and I was pretty active all throughout my childhood. But, then again, maybe it was the doctor? Either way, walking has been known to have plenty of benefits for your physical health.

Here are some of the physical health benefits of walking:

Improves your coordination and balance
Strengthens your muscles and bones
Helps maintain a health weight
Can help you lose body fat
Helps prevent/manage conditions such as heart disease, stroke, high bp, and more
Improves your endurance
Strengthens your immune system
Improves your overall fitness

How to Start Walking as a Hobby

Lucky for you, to start walking as a hobby you don’t need the same physical fitness levels as you would if you started running or weight lifting. Still, you will need to consider your physical endurance. Walking long distances can get exhausting and still place your body in a state of distress if you’re unprepared.

The key is to take a walk to measure your endurance. You’ll want to choose a path where you know the distance – so an indoor track is preferable for the first trip. This will give you an idea of what you can realistically achieve in the beginning and what type of nature trails you can try.

You also don’t need to walk in nature. While nature brings its own benefits, you can walk wherever you want. You can walk through your neighborhood, down the street, or stay at your local indoor walking track.

It is important to remember to stay safe when you’re walking, particularly when you’re walking alone outdoors. Brush up on and follow these 10 safety tips from Saferwatch before heading out.

Walking is one of the more accessible physical hobbies to have, considering you can do it nearly anywhere and it doesn’t require any special equipment which is common with hobbies like crafting or cooking.

I hope this helped you answer the the question “is walking a hobby?” And gave you a little insight on if (and how) you can start walking as a hobby.

What do you think of walking as a hobby? Is it something you would consider or are you more interested in hobbies that create something? Let me know in the comments below!