The health benefits of a daily walk are well established; a constitutional walk reduces the risk of heart disease, lowers blood pressure and LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), reduces stress, boosts immunity, and improves digestion.
Now, a new study adds yet another reason to get your steps in.
Publishing in The Lancet, researchers found that participants who took a 30-minute walk five times a week reported less back pain and fewer medical visits than their stationary counterparts.
Low back pain is estimated to affect 619 million people globally. Microgen – stock.adobe.com
Per the study, almost seven in ten people who recover from an episode of lower back pain will experience a recurrence within the following year. Yet after experiencing back pain, these regular walkers were pain-free for almost twice as long as those who stood still.
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Low back pain is estimated to affect 619 million people globally in 2020 and is projected to increase to 843 million people by 2050.
In terms of preventing lower back pain, Dr. Jason Lipetz, chief of spine medicine at Northwell Health in Long Island, previously told The Post that picking up children and other heavy items is often the root of the problem.
Researchers found that participants who took a 30-minute walk five times a week reported less back pain and fewer medical visits than their stationary counterparts. hedgehog94 – stock.adobe.com
“Bending over at the waist puts pressure on the discs of the spine and can cause pain,” Lipetz says. “Also, things like riding a bike with the seat too low, even getting in and out of a car, can make you lift the knee too high, putting extra pressure on the spine and contributing to lower back pain.”
Experts believe younger generations are experiencing an influx in back pain due to inactivity and sedentary jobs, especially those that involve looking down at smartphones, laptops and tablets for hours a day.
As an anecdote to the negative consequences of inactivity, walking is a free, low-impact alternative to running or other high-intensity workouts. It is practical, accessible, and may help you live a longer, richer, less pained life.
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Experts believe younger generations are experiencing an influx in back pain due to sedentary jobs. Kay Abrahams/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com
Recent research found that walking 5,000 steps three times a week for two years could increase a person’s life expectancy by three years and decrease their healthcare costs by up to 13%.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week in its physical activity guidelines. A 30-minute walk on weeknights gets steppers within that range.
Research suggests that a brisk pace may be better than a slower stride in lowering the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
For those looking to amplify their stroll’s aerobic intensity and calorie burn, experts recommend incorporating weights and interval training, walking to the beat of a fast-paced song, and/or walking on an elevated terrain or along a path with hills.
Short, no-equipment workouts are racking up billions of views as consumers ditch traditional gym routines for fast, accessible fitness that fits into everyday life
Gym membership might be at an all-time high, but there’s a whole population of people going after their workout goals without a a traditional location or routine.
Just as people are drawn to short-form content on social media, they’re also gravitating toward short-form fitness — also known as “exercise snacks.”
Data from AI-powered analytics platform Virlo scoured more than 1,000 online videos with more than 2.2 billion views, finding that 5–15 minute routines on social media are outperforming traditional gym content, achieving higher engagement as they lower friction and make fitness feel immediately achievable.
Over three-quarters (76%) of trending fitness content across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube was no-equipment workouts that catered to audiences short on time, the report found.
Within that content, videos pushing specific body part targeting and transformation — especially abs, glutes and arms — had three to five times more engagement, while phrases like “no equipment,” “home workout” and “do anywhere” amplified shares. Videos that promised results within a certain number of days or expressed urgency (“lose fat fast” or “10 days to abs”) also saw higher views, especially repeat visits.
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The trend reflects a broader shift online toward low-commitment, accessible and quick-results fitness that can seamlessly fit into the confines of everyday life. The videos are typically being posted by “micro-creators” without huge followings who post relatively simple routines.
These mini workouts appeal to the ubiquitous desire for instant gratification, while reducing the intimidation of structured gym routines, potentially increasing the chance of people who might not work out at all engaging in some form of exercise.
While the credibility of these creators’ claims to transform body composition in short windows with these movements is up unknown, there is science backing the effectiveness of exercise snacks.
A meta-analysis from last year found that short, structured bouts of movement — about five minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise — significantly improved cardiovascular fitness in adults, and slightly improved endurance among older adults, supporting the idea that any movement is better than none, especially if it lowers the barrier to entry to exercise.
Elaine LaLanne is spending the days since her 100th birthday with the same healthy habits she’s been cultivating for decades: exercising every day and eating a nutritious diet.
She starts each morning with abdominal exercises, leg lifts and and pushups, noting she’s “very strong in the core.”
The widow of famed fitness guru Jack LaLanne credits her husband for turning her life around. He hosted the first TV exercise show starting in the 1950s and has been called the “father of the modern fitness movement.”
She recalls initially dismissing him as “this muscle man” when they first met in 1951 — LaLanne booked him to perform pushups during a TV program she was producing — but becoming intrigued by his healthy lifestyle.
At 100, Elaine LaLanne still works out every day. She was born on March 19, 1926.
“I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t met Jack LaLanne. I was always eating chocolate donuts and smoking cigarettes and eating candy bars for lunch,” the centenarian, who lives in California, tells TODAY.com.
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“He told me, ‘You should be eating apples and bananas and oranges.’ I said, ‘Are you kidding?’ Then I changed my tune, and I’ve been a convert ever since. I know that’s why I lived to be 100.”
She stopped smoking, started eating healthier and began exercising. The couple married in 1959. She says most women didn’t work out in those days, but the “The Jack LaLanne Show” got many female viewers interested in exercise.
Elaine LaLanne was a regular part of the program, and became an author and public speaker, touting the benefits of exercise and good nutrition and earning the nickname “The first lady of fitness.”
The LaLannes, aka “the father of modern fitness” and the “first lady of fitness.”
She was married to Jack LaLanne until his death at 96 in 2011.
The Health & Fitness Association inducted the couple into its Hall of Fame in March.
Here are Elaine LaLanne’s simple tips for living a long and healthy life:
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Exercise Every Day
The centenarian has been exercising daily for most of her life.
At 100, before LaLanne gets out of bed, she still does 20 “jackknife” ab exercises every day, a routine she’s followed for years. The core workout involves starting in a lying position, then lifting the torso and legs at the same time, ending up in a V-shaped position.
She also does leg lifts and other leg exercises while lying down, then gets up to do pushups against a wall or sink.
When LaLanne was younger, she used to be able to do 50 full-body pushups. She also worked out with weights and used a treadmill. Her workout sessions usually lasted 30 minutes.
Swimming was another favorite form of exercise. “Jack said swimming is probably one of the best all over exercises one can do,” she notes. Swimming is one of the best sports for a long healthy life, studies confirm.
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Elaine LaLanne in 2016.
Eat a Healthy Diet
LaLanne doesn’t follow any particular eating plan, like the Mediterranean diet or a low-carb diet. She calls her approach “just plain old watching what you want to put in your mouth.”
When you eat, ask yourself: “What is this going to do for me?” she advises.
Her typical breakfast might be yogurt mixed with protein powder and topped with blueberries, strawberries and other fruit. She’s never been a coffee drinker, so she prefers to have a cup of cocoa. Cocoa has antioxidant properties, enhances cognition and boosts positive mood, studies have found.
For dinner, she loves to eat salmon or chicken, but otherwise doesn’t consume a lot of meat. The rest of her plate is filled with a lot of vegetables, plus rice or potatoes.
“I love potatoes. I grew up in the Midwest, and I’m still a potato lover,” she says. “It’s just simple, simple things. I eat like most people.”
She eats just enough so that her stomach is full without overindulging.
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Live Life in Moderation
Her husband was extremely disciplined and didn’t eat dessert, opting for fruit and figs to satisfy any sugar cravings.
She followed suit and didn’t have any cake or ice cream for decades, but then rebelled.
Elaine and Jack LaLanne.
“I said, ‘Jack, I’m 80 years old, and if I want a piece of cake, I want to have a piece of cake,’” she recalled.
“One candy bar is not going to kill you. … When you overindulge, that’s the downfall. And if you just have a little of this, a little of that, it’s not going to kill you. That’s what I believe.”
She has the same approach to alcohol, enjoying an occasional glass of wine.
Be Consistent
Jack LaLanne said, “It’s not what you do some of the time that counts. It’s what you do most of the time,” his wife points out.
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She sums up her own philosophy as the acronym ARCH.
A for attitude.
R for resistance — “If you resist that muscle, it’s going to work for you. If you resist the food that’s undermining your health, you’re going to be healthier,” she says.
C for consistency.
H for harmony.
Mark Wahlberg has plans to make a documentary about the LaLannes.
Think Positive
“I’m a very positive person, and I don’t let anything bother me,” LaLanne says.
“If people could get rid of negativity, they would be a lot happier.”
Her husband encouraged that mindset, always reminding the family, “We do not talk negative in this house,” she recalls. He was also a believer in visualizing a positive outcome before it happened.
Accept and Persevere
When LaLanne’s 21-year-old daughter died in a car accident, she got through the tragedy by telling herself she couldn’t change things, so she had to accept what had happened.
“Just before I turned 100, I was thinking, how can I sum this whole thing up in all my life? I thought about my acceptance,” LaLanne says.
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“Through my life, I’ve accepted what I’m handed, and then I persevere. … Those two things are my mantra.”
She’s still applying that mantra today as she deals with macular degeneration that’s caused her to lose sight in one eye. LaLanne accepts her worsening vision but looks for ways to work around it. She can still see her computer screen and keep writing, so she perseveres.
It’s not that Rachel Collins thinks dead bugs aren’t a good core exercise, it’s just that, for the majority of us, she thinks there might be a better alternative: weighted taps.
Below, the pelvic floor expert tells WH why she’s made the swap and how to nail your technique to get the most out of this exercise.
Benefits of weighted taps
‘The Dead Bug is a popular core exercise but maintaining proper form to ensure good core connection is also very difficult,’ says Collins, who focuses on abdominal strengthening in much of her work as a pelvic floor physical therapist. ‘When reaching an arm overhead and kicking a leg out, many women flare their ribs and arch their lower back. This makes it harder to activate the lower core and can cause lower back pain.’
‘I love performing weighted taps instead because adding a weight requires you to push up, which helps push those ribs back so you can maintain a better rib and pelvis position, keeping the lower core engaged,’ she adds. ‘It just feels so much better for me and helps many people maintain better core activation to get the most out of the exercise.’
How to do weighted taps with good form
Here, Collins outlines how to perform weighted taps with good technique.
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Push the weight up towards the ceiling
Shoulder blades come off the floor
Inhale through the nose with your legs in the air
Exhale through your mouth to tap one foot down
Rachel Collins
Rachel Collins demonstrating her favourite core exercise: weighted taps
And a bonus tip? ‘It [can help] to use a towel roll under your back where you feel it is arched more to give your back something to press into during the exercise.’
Mistakes to avoid
Common mistakes to avoid when doing the exercise, adds Collins, include:
Lifting your head off the ground
Not using a heavy enough weight
Feeling increased tension in the neck
Why a strong core is so important
Maintaining your core strength as you age is crucial to staying strong, active and independent. By improving balance and stability, a strong core – which encompasses your back, abdominals, pelvic floor, diaphragm, hips and glutes – can help prevent falls, improving overall longevity. One recent study found that core training improved balance, plus throwing, hitting and jumping ability.
In other words, by adding regular core exercises – like weighted taps – to your routine, you’re getting a whole lot of bang for your buck.
Having a strong core is about far more than sporting a six-pack. Build functional mid-section strength – while also improving your power, posture, coordination and balance – with WH COLLECTIVE coach Izy George’s 4-week core challenge. Download the Women’s Health UK app to access the full training plan today.
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.
