One Click Answers

Is walking exercise?

By the CDC's own measure, yes: walking at 3.0 mph is 3.5 METs in the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines, and the CDC calls activities of 3 to 5.9 METs moderate intensity. The CDC lists 150 minutes of moderate activity a week for adults.

Action level No action usually needed

Why you are seeing it
It is a common question from people who walk and wonder whether it counts.
Why it matters
The intensity of an activity is measured in METs, so a walk can be placed on the same scale as other activities.
What should I do?
  • Add up your weekly minutes with the Activity Minutes Calculator.
  • See what an estimate of calories used looks like with the Calories Burned Estimator.
  • Ask a doctor before changing your activity if you have a health condition.
A common misunderstanding
Whether a walk counts depends on its speed: only the speeds in the table have a value, and a slow stroll is not covered.

What a MET is

A MET is the ratio of an activity's energy cost to a standard resting rate, or about 1 kilocalorie per kilogram per hour. The CDC says one MET equals the energy used while sitting quietly, that activities of 3 to 5.9 METs are moderate intensity, and that 6.0 METs or higher are vigorous.

A simple example

A week of walks

Five 30-minute walks at 3 mph is 150 minutes at 3.5 METs, which is moderate by the CDC measure.

Walking faster than 3 mph (until running) has no value stated in the guidelines, so the page makes no claim for it.

Add your own minutes with the Activity Minutes Calculator.

Where walking falls

MET values stated in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition
ActivityMETs
Walking 2.0 mph2.5
Walking 3.0 mph3.5
Running 6.0 mph (10 min per mile)10

Adding up a week

The CDC page on activity guidelines says adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, which can also be 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity or an equivalent combination. Whether a walk counts depends on how fast it is for the person doing it.

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