NATURA
- Jul 10
- 5 min read

The Science of Walking

Updated: Jul 19

This time, I looked into the beloved activity of walking💕

Recently, I often see people walking, but how exactly is walking good for health? I also investigated how walking in the morning differs in effect from walking at night✨✨

To begin with, a study of 15,000 people in Canada🇨🇦 showed that the effects of aerobic exercise in the morning, afternoon, and evening were ambiguous. While some papers suggested that morning aerobic exercise was better, others claimed that the afternoon or evening was slightly better✨✨

This may be related to chronotypes (circadian rhythms), which determine human sleep patterns.

Indeed, morning aerobic exercise is reported to reduce body weight and fat. It makes it harder to feel full, which is a benefit. Walking in the morning also consumes more energy compared to the evening, and it has been reported that those who do morning aerobic exercise go to bed 30 minutes earlier, leading to an early bedtime and wake-up routine✨✨

In the afternoon and evening, however, aerobic exercise has been reported to enhance mental well-being. Although body weight and fat do decrease, the effects are less than half compared to the morning. Walking in the evening stimulates the satiety center, making you feel hungrier, which might lead to overeating. Moreover, evening exercise is reported to delay bedtime by 30 minutes compared to morning exercise☀️☀️

However, humans are naturally born with a chronotype, which makes them more active in the morning (morning type), afternoon (afternoon type), or night (night type). Each chronotype has a different peak performance time, so there are some discrepancies. It is important to exercise according to your chronotype, but since the morning has the benefit of sunlight☀️, it might be advantageous✨✨

There is a report that aerobic exercise after a meal significantly lowers postprandial blood sugar levels. Therefore, it is better to eat before starting aerobic exercise. Furthermore, a study reported that a group who consumed protein before aerobic exercise had a significant increase in muscle mass, so it is recommended to eat protein before walking or aerobic exercise☀️☀️✨✨

A 12-week experiment with elderly participants showed that afternoon exercise improved mental health. In studies on athletes with depression, mood improvements were observed in both morning and night exercises. For Alzheimer’s patients, morning aerobic exercise increased physical activity levels. Therefore, walking is effective for improving mental health and Alzheimer’s symptoms✨✨✨✨

In another experiment with 63 participants, 94% reported mental improvements after a 15-week period😂😂✨✨

However, a 10-month aerobic exercise experiment reported that morning aerobic exercise resulted in a weight loss of (-7.2 kg), while evening exercise resulted in only (-2.1 kg). One concern is that afternoon and evening walking or aerobic exercise might make you extremely hungry, leading to overeating. Therefore, those who walk in the morning should eat breakfast and consume protein before exercising. Those who walk or do aerobic exercise in the afternoon or evening should have an early meal and try to avoid eating afterward✨✨

Regardless of whether it is morning or evening, aerobic exercise reduces the risk of heart disease and arteriosclerosis. It is super effective for improving mental health and preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s. Walking more than 8,000 steps a day is reported to reduce the risk of all diseases, so it is better to engage in walking or aerobic exercise✨

If you want to know your chronotype, please take the test linked below:

[Chronotype Test in English]

https://sleepopolis.com/chronotypes-quiz/

How was it??✨✨

I enjoy walking, and my highest step count in a day is 55,000 steps😂😂😂😂

I walk effectively to improve my mental health✨✨

I hope everyone will try walking too👍👍

Thank you for reading✨✨

[My scientific recommendations]

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