Walking: More Than a Workout

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”

People ask me all the time — what’s the best exercise I can do?
The answer’s almost too simple to take seriously: walking.

I know, it doesn’t sound sexy. But it’s probably the most underrated thing we’ve got. Two legs oscillating around the fixed axis of our spine. Arms free to carry, throw, climb — nothing else in the animal kingdom moves like we do. It’s one of our greatest evolutionary advantages. Walking quite literally made us human.

And still... we act like it doesn’t count.

But here’s the reality:
People who walk 7,000 steps a day reduce their risk of dying early by 50–70%.
Even if you’re nowhere near that, just 20 minutes of brisk walking has been shown to cut heart disease risk by 30%.
Wild, right?

And then, when we get to do that walk in the woods or up a mountain — game over.
Better air. Calmer nervous system. Reduced anxiety. Improved mood.
You leave the screen behind and things suddenly feel more manageable. A little quieter. A little clearer.

That’s why we’ve always made a big deal about getting outside at Uptown Movement.
We lift. We crawl. We move well. Our training is built around locomotion — around staying on the move.
But we also walk — because we’re not just trying to build better bodies. We’re trying to live well.
And being outside, walking, talking, breathing — that’s part of the work too.

I’ve always believed we only train in the gym to support the fun outside of it. And part of that fun is getting out into the woods — something we’ve done as a community at Uptown Movement since day one.

If you missed the last hike, no worries — more are coming.
But in the meantime, maybe just get out for a walk. Even ten minutes around the block. Or better yet, into the magic of Inwood Hill Park.

It all counts. And it helps more than you think.