SOME PEOPLE GET really amped up about crushing their tracker’s 10,000 step goal. You think whoop-de-doo, but walking consistently throughout the day exponentially helps your mental and physical health.

Here are three benefits you’ll experience by getting up and taking a stroll.

1. You’ll better handle everything life throws at you

The more average daily steps you take, the more likely you are to better handle stress.

2. You’ll smile more

Active people are happier than layabouts who work in offices filled with Buzz Killingtons.

3. You’ll drop weight, lose inches—and live longer

Fifteen-thousand steps is the equivalent of about seven miles—the distance that’s beneficial to walk daily to maintain a healthy weight, a trim waistline, and a reduced risk of cardiac disease.

by Men’s Fitness Editors