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One of the best things you can do as you get older is walk regularly. Walking is easy, accessible, costs nothing, and may even add years to your life. Still, simply going for a stroll every day can start to feel a bit boring. “Any repetitive motion in one plane of motion, such as walking forward, will activate the same muscles each time,” added Amy West, M.D., a sports medicine physician at Northwell Health in New York. That means you won't get the aerobic and strength gains you need as you age—but incorporating different ways to walk to build muscle can get you all those perks.

Lindsey Benoit O’Connell, C.S.C.S., a certified trainer, a meditation teacher, and the founder of The LAB Wellness, agreed: “Different walking styles can help improve balance, coordination, and agility,” she said. Aside from building strength throughout your body, using different walking styles “challenges your brain to work harder to coordinate the steps,” O’Connell added. Then, once you can confidently do all of these, you can add high-intensity intervals or extra resistance. “Mix up your walks during the week by doing different styles on different days­," O'Connell suggested. "Over time, you’ll see big payoffs!”