(Health Secrets) Walking is a simple pleasure that many people use to stay fit or boost their mood without considering just how much benefit they might actually be getting from the activity. In addition to combating depression, burning calories, and maintaining bone density, regular walking could significantly lower your chances of dying from both the first and second leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease and cancer. Heart disease claims the lives of around 600,000 people in the US annually, accounting for one in four deaths. Cancer kills nearly as many, taking about 575,000 people. Read More.