I walked from end-to-end of Manhattan and a cardiologist said the heart health benefits were similar to running a half-marathon

We made it to the bottom of Manhattan from the top in about eight hours.Allana Akhtar/Insider

• I walked from the top to the bottom of Manhattan in 8 hours, checking an item off my bucket list.
• The walk was a great endurance exercise, a cardiologist told me, with health benefits similar to running a half-marathon.

I walked from the top of Manhattan to the bottom in 8 hours — and lived to tell the tale.

The hike from the top to the bottom of Manhattan is popular among locals and tourists, and was even the plot for a Broad City episode.

But, as a health reporter, I knew the ambitious journey was more than just a check off my bucket list — it was a great way to highlight how walking can help our heart. Dr. Tamanna Singh, cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic, thought so too. Singh told me walking — even if it's not down the world's most densely populated island — is an underrated exercise for heart health.

"Your heart really doesn't care what you do, it can't distinguish between walking, running, biking, rowing, swimming, cycling," Singh said. "There are so many benefits from a cardiovascular perspective that you can get from walking, similar to running."

Here's what it was like to walk from the top to the bottom of Manhattan, along with Singh's tips to get the most benefit for your ticker out of a long walk.