The benefits of walking for mental health and brain function

Published January 2024 | 4 min read
Expert contributors Brent Nicol, exercise physiologist, Exercise & Sports Science Australia; Associate Professor Justine Gatt, director of the Centre for Wellbeing, Resilience and Recovery at Neuroscience Research Australia
Words by Angela Tufvesson

There's more to walking than just staying fit. It can also enhance your mental health, boost cognitive function and keep your brain healthy for longer.

You're probably well versed in the many benefits walking can bring to your physical health – from improving heart health and cardiovascular fitness to boosting bone and muscle strength. If you’ve ever gone for a stroll to clear your head, you may also know that walking is one of the best exercises for brain health.

A growing body of research shows regular walking can improve your mood, cognition and memory, as well as reduce stress. It can also help prevent mental health issues like depression, and reduce cognitive decline and your risk of dementia as you age.

"There's a lot of changes that happen when you're walking that prevent your brain from remodelling in a negative way," explains Brent Nicol, an accredited exercise physiologist from Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA).

Here’s how moving your feet can benefit your brain, and how to get the most out of the simple act of walking.

Walking and brain health as we age

The brain requires a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to function effectively. Increased blood flow generated during aerobic exercise like walking will accelerate this process. Studies show this can lead to the growth of new brain cells and help counter age-related decline in brain size and volume.

"One of the things that walking does is drive more blood flow to different brain regions," explains Associate Professor Justine Gatt, director of the Centre for Wellbeing, Resilience and Recovery at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA).

Plus, walking sends messages to your brain that it needs to adapt to changes in your environment, which helps it grow stronger, says Brent.

"There's some math that happens in your brain that says, ‘in order to walk from here to there, I need to keep an eye on things like distance, light and terrain’," he explains. "Your brain produces hormones and neurotransmitters as a result of these messages, which help build memory, cognition and processing speed."

This can mean older adults are likely to experience a decline in brain function as they age. According to Dementia Australia, regular walking sessions of at least 30 minutes will benefit cognitive health – and maintaining physical activity throughout our lives is associated with a lower risk of dementia.

One 2020 study conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland, involving 16,700 people aged 54 to 75 over the course of 13 years, revealed a clear link between moderate physical activity like brisk walking and improved cognitive function. Researchers found that weekly exercise increased cognitive function by an average of 14% for women and 5% for men.

Walking for mental health

Walking can also offer important benefits for mental wellbeing. People who exercise regularly – by taking a brisk walk, for example – often experience lower stress levels and have a reduced risk of mental illness.

"In our work, which focuses on mental wellbeing, we have found that being involved in regular exercise every week, including walking, predicted increases in your wellbeing," Assoc Prof Gatt says.

Walking appears to help in treating mental health conditions, too. "In patients with depression and anxiety, exercise is quite beneficial for reducing symptoms, even after just a couple of weeks."

In fact, a recent study by University of South Australia researchers found physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counselling or the leading medications for managing depression.

The link between walking and mental health is complicated, but experts believe it has something to do with the way in which chemicals in the brain such as serotonin, stress hormones and endorphins, change with physical exercise.

"Any time you move your body it regulates the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, which brings down your general anxiety levels," Brent says.

Nature walking and brain health

Keen to get more brain-boosting health benefits from your regular walk? Escape into nature, suggests Brent. "Doing things in nature, in green and blue spaces, is infinitely better because humans respond to nature in a crazy way," he says, citing a recent study that found living in an area with greater than 20% tree canopy lowered people’s risk of developing dementia by 14% over 11 years.

Walking in natural environments also gives your brain more opportunities to adapt and grow stronger. "The gold standard form of walking is to go on a bushwalk," Brent says. "There's a concept called gait variability, which is how your brain and body work together to adjust how you're moving to suit the environment. The more you challenge that, the more you need to adapt."

The benefits of walking every day

Assoc Prof Gatt recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of brisk walking – moderate intensity exercise where you notice a slight increase in breathing and heart rate – at least five days a week to derive brain health benefits.

The good news is it doesn’t have to be continuous. You might choose to incorporate three 10-minute blocks of walking into your day, or walk your dog for 15 minutes each morning and afternoon. Walking at the same time each day or heading out with a friend can also help you make it a regular part of your schedule.

"The strength of walking is that anyone can do it, and if you're looking to maximise the benefits, just walk for a bit longer," Brent says. "Faster is better because the intensity of the body's responses is higher, but compared to not doing any exercise, any type of walking is much better."

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