Walking alone insufficient for fitness in rural and urban US adults, study finds

A US study finds walking alone is insufficient for full fitness; only one in four walkers meets both aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines. Based on 396,261 adults in 2019, 44.1% named walking their main leisure activity. Rural residents preferred gardening, hunting, and fishing; urban residents favored running, weights, cycling, and dancing. Among walkers, 25% met both recommendations; 22% met neither. Rural adults showed higher inactivity, attributed partly to limited access to gyms and programs. The authors caution data predates Covid-19 and urge localized strategies beyond walking.