The Path to Longevity: Exploring the Health Benefits of Walking

In the recent Netflix hit documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, Dan Buettner travels to a cluster of villages on the north-eastern coast of Sardinia to meet with residents that are, in many cases, well on the way to reaching 100 years of age.

According to the Blue Zones website, this region of Sardinia was the first Blue Zone ever identified, with nearly 10 times more centenarians per capita than the United States.

There are many reasons for this, including the fact that many residents eat a lean, plant-based diet accented with meat (“The classic Sardinian diet consists of whole-grain bread, beans, garden vegetables, fruits, and, in some parts of the island, mastic oil,”) as well as the island having a culture of celebrating its elders which, some argue, “Adds up to healthier, better adjusted, and longer-lived children. It may give the overall population a life expectancy bump.”

Walk of Life

Despite this, the activity that stuck out to us the most while reading about the residents of this small corner of Sardinia was how often, and how far, these individuals walk on a daily basis.

Sardinians in their eighties, nineties, and beyond are walking up and down steep cobbled streets for miles every day. According to the Blue Zones website, “Walking five miles a day or more as Sardinian shepherds provides all the cardiovascular benefits you might expect, and also has a positive effect on muscle and bone metabolism without the joint-pounding of running marathons or triathlons.”

Harvard Medical School has documented the many and various benefits of walking, including boosting the immune function, easing joint pain, maintaining a healthy weight, and even curbing cravings for sweets!

Whether you live in a small village or a sprawling metropolis, don’t underestimate the benefits of walking just a few miles every day for increased longevity.