Walking Outside vs. Treadmill Walking: Is One 'Better' Than the Other?

If running isn’t your thing or it’s inaccessible at your current fitness level, rest assured that walking offers many of the same benefits. Walking workouts can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and can improve mental health—just like running can. 

When it comes to walking workouts, you have two options: Head outside or hop on the treadmill. Each option has its own benefits as well as some drawbacks. Curious to know which one is best for you? Here’s how walking outside vs. treadmill walking compares and how to figure out which one is best for you.    

Benefits of Walking Workouts

Before getting into how walking outside vs treadmill walking compare, it’s helpful to know that no matter how you choose to do it, your physical and mental health will absolutely benefit. “Walking is one of my favorite forms of cardio because it's low impact but effective and you can do it alone or with friends. There are so many benefits to walking and they aren't just physical benefits,” says Peloton instructor, Olivia Amato. 

Olivia says that one of the key physical benefits of walking is that it supports cardiovascular health (walking is cardio after all, so it makes sense that it supports cardiovascular health). This is especially good to know since cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. and it’s one that is up to 80 percent preventable by maintaining healthy diet and lifestyle habits, such as walking. One scientific study found that walking regularly decreased the risk of cardiovascular disease by 66 percent for people with no risk factors and 63 percent for people with one risk factor for cardiovascular disease (such as obesity). That’s major! 

The mental health benefits of walking shouldn’t be overlooked either. “[Walking] has positive effects on your mental health, boosting your energy and your mood. It also helps improve your sleep and reduce stress,” Olivia says. Scientific research backs this up, showing that walking regularly can help improve emotional health. Want to walk your way to better sleep? Research shows that walking improves the quality of sleep, decreasing the amount of times one wakes up in the middle of the night.

“Every time I go for a walk, I am so glad that I did it. To me, walking always feels good and I always finish feeling stronger and happier than when I started. It helps me to clear my mind or really think through things, whether I need to make an important decision or need a boost in creativity,” Olivia says.

It’s clear that walking is beneficial. So should you do it outside or on the treadmill?

Benefits of Walking Outside

There are certain benefits that only walking outside can provide that you can’t get while walking on the treadmill. One of the perhaps more obvious ones, Olivia says, is being out in nature. It’s hard to replicate the sights, sounds, and smells of walking through a park, on a nature trail, on the beach, or even around your neighborhood. “Sometimes if I am in a funk, going outside and being in the sun and hearing the birds chirp helps me get out of it,” Olivia says.

Olivia points out that walking outside is a way to get the vitamin D you need for the day, a nutrient 41% of people in the U.S. don’t get enough of. One way to get vitamin D is through the sun and/or supplements, since it is not found in many foods. If you are concerned about your vitamin D levels, you should talk to a doctor or medical professional.(And always ask your healthcare provider before trying any new supplements.)

Olivia highlights another benefit of walking outside: varied terrain. When you walk outside, you’re likely to encounter hills, steps, and uneven surfaces—all of which help improve stabilization, balance, and core strength.

Benefits of Walking on a Treadmill

Just like how walking outside has its own unique benefits, so does walking on a treadmill. “Walking on a treadmill is of course safer because there are no cars,” Olivia says. If you want to zone out and listen to your music or a podcast while you walk, it’s much safer to do so on a treadmill where you don’t have to pay attention to cars, bikes, or anything else that can be potentially dangerous. You also don’t have to pay attention to where you’re going! 

“Treadmills allow the convenience of flexibility. If you have a Peloton Tread [or treadmill] in your house, it helps if you have time constraints,” Olivia says. To her point, if you have some time between work meetings, you can hop on the Tread for a quick walk while still being near your computer. Or you may be able to walk on your treadmill during a phone call too! Additionally, if it’s rainy, super hot, or super cold out, you can still get your walking workout in without having to battle any unpleasant elements. 

For those who want to minimize pressure on their knees, ankles, or other joints, Olivia says a treadmill is a safer option than walking outside because the slat belt is softer and has more shock absorbency than some outside surfaces may have. This puts less impact on the joints.

While all treadmills offer the aforementioned benefits, one benefit to the Peloton Tread+ in particular is that it offers a wide variety of classes so you can find ones that support your fitness goals, mood, and how much time you have. For example, if you want to increase your endurance, you can choose an endurance training class. “Classes make the time go by quicker and also create the workout plan for you,” Olivia says. If you’re competitive, she points out that you’ll likely get super into the Leaderboard, which allows for support and friendly competition. 

There is also plenty you can do in Free Mode, such as practicing drills or progressing from a brisk walk to an all-out sprint. No matter what your fitness goals are, using the Tread+ in Free Mode can support them.

“If you are working on endurance or getting faster, the Tread+ includes controlled pace training. You are also able to see your speed and distance which makes it easier to track your progress over time,” Olivia says, pointing out yet another benefit to walking on the Tread+. Seeing your progress over time can be motivating and help you stick with your walking workouts longterm.

How to Get the Most Out of Treadmill Walking

Simply putting on your sneakers and walking on the treadmill will without a doubt benefit your body and mind, but there are ways to step up your walking workouts to get the most out of them. Olivia says that one way to do it is to utilize the incline button. Unlike when walking outside, you get to choose what your incline is the entire duration of your walk. If you want to make your walk harder, up the incline. You’ll feel the difference!

Another way to maximize your treadmill walking workout is to increase your speed—and no, that doesn’t have to mean breaking out into a jog, says Olivia. The American Heart Association recommends walking about three miles per hour to reap the most cardiovascular benefits. If that speed is inaccessible to you right now, it’s a good goal to work up to!

Olivia recommends using the treadmill to track your progress over time. That way, you can make incremental goals of increasing your endurance, incline, or speed depending on what your current baseline is. “Continue to push yourself out of your comfort zone by not allowing yourself to get too comfortable. For example, every time you feel comfortable, acknowledge it and then add .1 or .2 to your speed or a full percent to your incline,” Olivia says.

To stay consistent with your treadmill walking workouts, Olivia recommends planning your workouts ahead of time. “Be consistent and continue to take time for yourself because it really pays off both mentally and physically,” she says.

Walking Outside vs. Treadmill Walking: Which Is Best for You?

It bears repeating that walking outside and treadmill walking are both beneficial. Olivia says that a combination of both is best for most people. “I love both, but it totally depends on my mood and the weather. If it's a beautiful day or I've been inside all day, I will most likely go for a walk outside, but if the weather isn't great or I don't feel like leaving my house or am tight on time, I'll opt for the Tread,” she says, on how she integrates both walking outside and on the treadmill in her own life.

“I also opt for the Tread if I don't want to think about what workout to do, and rather have the instructor tell me what to do,” Olivia adds. If walking workouts are new to you, guided walking classes on the Tread may be beneficial for you too.

Takeaway

When it comes to comparing walking outside vs. treadmill walking, the bottom line is that they have some benefits that overlap as well as their own unique benefits. For most people, a combination of both will offer the most benefits. 

That said, it’s also important to consider your unique needs and circumstances. If you don’t live in an area where walking outside is an option, you can absolutely benefit from walking solely on a treadmill. The inverse is true too: If you don’t have access to a treadmill, your physical and mental health will prosper from regular outdoor walks. No matter what, walking will improve your health.