Walking could be just as important as biological imperatives like eating, providing the key types of movement the body needs to remain healthy, according to author and scientist Katy Bowman.

Bowman is the author of Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement, a book which explores the impact of movement on the body’s health, with the writer recently stating that walking is 'just like a superfood.'

“Walking is a superfood. It’s the defining movement of a human. It’s a lot easier to get movement than it is to get exercise,” Bowman, who is also a biomechanist based in California, told Reuters.

“Actively sedentary is a new category of people who are fit for one hour but sitting around the rest of the day," Bowman said. “You can’t offset 10 hours of stillness with one hour of exercise.”

Bowman’s standout point has often been echoed by a number of experts, with some suggesting that even minimal amounts of exercise, such as walking, can bring major health benefits for people of all ages.

For example, one piece of research published by the Journal of American College of Cardiology, has revealed that small amounts of physical activity could still bring major health benefits for exercisers.

Elsewhere, from a UK standpoint, some industry members have called for a focus on ensuring that members of the public feel confident enough to start becoming physically active

One case in point is Dr Mike Loosemore, founder of Active Movement, who believes that some members of the public find guidelines too intimidating to challenge their own levels of activity.

“Only seven per cent of men and three per cent of women are fulfilling the public health guidelines. Thirty per cent are doing less than half, and half of those don’t do anything at all,” he said in the latest edition of Health Club Management magazine.

“People need to have a reason to change their behaviour. About 20 per cent will manage to change if they want to, and this goes up to 60 per cent if they have support.”

Perhaps one way to begin such a process is to encourage activity in some of its most basic forms, like walking, with the benefits having been mooted by scientists, researchers and industry experts alike.