What are the health benefits of walking for exercise?

Regular, brisk exercise of any kind can improve confidence, stamina, energy, weight control and life expectancy and reduces stress.[7] It can also decrease the risk of coronary heart disease, strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure, bowel cancer and osteoporosis.[7] Scientific studies have also shown that walking, besides its physical benefits, is also beneficial for the mind, improving memory skills, learning ability, concentration, mood, creativity, and abstract reasoning.[7] Sustained walking sessions for a minimum period of thirty to sixty minutes a day, five days a week, with the correct walking posture,[8] reduce health risks and have various overall health benefits, such as reducing the chances of cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, anxiety disorder and depression.[9] Life expectancy is also increased even for individuals suffering from obesity or high blood pressure. Walking also improves bone health, especially strengthening the hip bone, and lowering the harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and raising the useful high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.[7] Studies have found that walking may also help prevent dementia and Alzheimer's.

Walking daily, as little as 30 minutes a day, provides several physical and mental benefits.  It can lower stress, is beneficial for the mind and reduces several health risks.