Many medical experts say that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, support fitness and prevent disease. They advise that walking is a great first step toward a healthy life although other forms of exercise are also important. 

许多医学专家说，步行是改善身心健康，支持健身并预防疾病的一种简单方法。 他们建议步行是迈向健康生活的重要第一步，尽管其他形式的运动也很重要。

Dr. Sarah Eby is a sports medicine physician with Mass General Brigham in the state of Massachusetts. Eby said walking has many good effects and people do not need extra things. “You don’t need equipment and you don’t need a gym membership,” Eby noted “And the benefits are so vast.” 莎拉·埃比（Sarah Eby）博士是马萨诸塞州大众杨百翰（Mass Brigham）的运动医学医师。 埃比说，步行有许多好的效果，人们不需要额外的东西。 Eby指出：“您不需要设备，也不需要健身房会员资格，而且好处是如此巨大。” 

The U.S. surgeon general, a federal health officer, recommends that adults get at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity physical activity every week. 美国外科医生是联邦卫生官员，建议成年人每周至少接受至少两个半小时的中等强度体育锻炼。 

Walking helps meet that goal. Exercise lowers the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia, depression and many kinds of cancer. 步行有助于实现这一目标。 运动降低了心脏病，高血压，痴呆，抑郁症和多种癌症的风险。 

Walking also helps blood sugar levels, is good for bone health, and can help people lose weight and sleep better. That is what Julie Schmied said. She is a health care worker with Norton Healthcare in Kentucky, which runs the free Get Healthy Walking Club. 步行也有助于血糖水平，对骨骼健康有益，可以帮助人们减肥和睡眠更好。 这就是朱莉·施米德（Julie Schmied）所说的。 她是肯塔基州诺顿医疗保健公司（Norton Healthcare）的一名卫生保健工作者，该工作人员拥有自由的“健康步行俱乐部”。

Walking is also a relatively low-impact exercise that puts less pressure on joints than other exercises while strengthening the heart and lungs. 步行也是一种相对较低的影响运动，比其他锻炼的关节施加较小的压力，同时增强心脏和肺部。 

James Blankenship is 68 years old. He said joining a walking club at the Louisville Zoo last year helped him recover after a heart attack and a complex triple-bypass heart operation in 2022. 詹姆斯·布兰肯（James Blankenship）今年68岁。 他说，去年加入路易斯维尔动物园的一个步行俱乐部，帮助他在2022年心脏病发作和复杂的三重伴随心脏手术后康复。 

“My cardiologist says I’m doing great,” he said. 他说：“我的心脏病专家说我做得很好。” 

Some say walking is not enough. Anita Gust teaches exercise science at the University of Minnesota Crookston. Gust said walking “is not enough for overall health and well-being” because it does not provide resistance training that builds muscle strength and endurance. 有人说步行还不够。 Anita Gust在明尼苏达大学克鲁克斯顿大学教授科学。 阵风说，步行“不足以满足整体健康和福祉”，因为它不能提供抗药性训练来增强肌肉力量和耐力。 

Some health experts say that is especially important for healthy bone development in women as they age. 一些健康专家说，这对于随着年龄的增长而对女性的健康骨骼发育尤为重要。

Experts recommend adding other activities at least twice weekly. These could include using weights, gym equipment or one’s own body for resistance exercises. Training that improves flexibility, like yoga or stretching, can also be helpful. 专家建议至少每周两次添加其他活动。 这些可能包括使用重量，健身器材或自己的身体进行抵抗运动。 提高灵活性（例如瑜伽或拉伸）的训练也可能会有所帮助。