If you want to do something good for your heart, two of the simplest choices may already be familiar: walking and swimming.
But which one is better? The answer may be more interesting than choosing a winner.
A major 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis examined 136 papers from 76 studies involving about 2.6 million adults. Among its findings, swimming was associated with a 24 percent lower risk of death from all causes. The researchers also found evidence linking swimming with improvements in body composition and blood lipids. Importantly, however, this was an association, not proof that swimming itself caused the lower mortality risk.
Walking has an equally important place in cardiovascular research—and a major practical advantage: almost anyone can do it.
What walking does for the heart
Walking can provide a meaningful cardiovascular workout, particularly when performed at a brisk pace.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 32 randomized controlled trials found that walking increased aerobic capacity and reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure. It also reduced body weight, waist circumference, body fat and BMI.
More recent research on daily steps has reached a similar conclusion. An umbrella review of systematic reviews found that higher daily step counts were associated with lower risks of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, with benefits appearing as daily movement increased.
Walking therefore does not have to look like a formal workout to matter. A brisk walk, an evening walk or simply increasing the number of steps taken each day can contribute to cardiovascular health.
What makes swimming different?
Swimming challenges the cardiovascular system in a different environment.
The water supports the body and provides resistance, while swimming involves the arms, legs, trunk and coordinated breathing. This makes it a full-body aerobic activity without the same impact on the joints as many land-based exercises.
Research also suggests cardiovascular benefits. The large 2024 review found that swimming was associated with lower all-cause mortality and improvements in body composition and blood lipids.
But swimming does not automatically beat walking.
One of the few studies to directly compare the two followed 116 previously sedentary women aged 50 to 70. Participants exercised three times a week at moderate intensity. Both groups improved their fitness, while walkers showed a greater improvement in a timed walking test.
The study is a useful reminder that different forms of exercise can produce different benefits—and that there is no simple formula for declaring one universally better.
The intensity matters
There is another important point: “walking” and “swimming” can mean very different things.
A leisurely stroll and a brisk walk do not place the same demand on the heart. Likewise, casually moving through a pool is very different from continuously swimming laps.
The cardiovascular benefit depends not only on the activity itself, but also on how regularly and how intensely it is performed.
This is one reason the research does not give us a clear winner.
So, which is better?
For the heart, the evidence does not justify saying that everyone should choose swimming over walking—or the other way around.
Walking is accessible, inexpensive and easy to incorporate into everyday life. Swimming provides a full-body aerobic workout with little joint impact and may offer particular advantages for people who find prolonged land-based exercise difficult.
The most important factor may ultimately be consistency.
If you enjoy swimming and can do it regularly, it is an excellent cardiovascular activity. If walking is easier to fit into your life, a brisk walk can provide substantial benefits. And for many people, doing both may be the best answer.
The heart does not necessarily need a winner.
It needs movement—and, above all, movement that becomes a regular part of life.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
