Comment by joseda-hg

Depending on who you ask, that is a form of meditation (or at the very least, a meditative activity).

And like the gym, it isn't necessarily orthogonal to a healthy lifestyle; sometimes, it’s just a way of focusing efforts toward a specific goal.

Some people get so much stimulation even when walking normally that it breaks the kind of focus they’re looking for (or they don't live in a zone particularly conducive to walking.) It is what it is