Recent research highlights the life-extending benefits of walking, pinpointing 10,000 steps a day as the ideal goal for enhancing longevity and heart health.
These benefits also extend to those who spend most of their day seated, indicating that it can counteract the negative effects of sitting too much.
According to research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, taking more than 2,200 steps a day, up to about 10,000, reduces the risk of heart disease and premature death, even if you spend a lot of the day sitting.
Individuals who achieved 9,700 steps daily experienced the lowest incidence of strokes and heart attacks.
In this study, researchers from the University of Sydney involved 72,174 participants who were around the age of 61. These participants wore a wrist accelerometer for a week to monitor their activity levels. After nearly seven years of tracking, there were 1,633 deaths and 6,190 cardiovascular incidents, such as heart attacks and strokes.
Also read
The findings revealed that surpassing 2,200 steps daily lowered the risk of death and heart disease, regardless of sedentary time, with greater step counts offering more benefits.
Specifically, walking between 9,000 and 10,500 steps daily reduced the risk of dying early by 39% and decreased heart attack or stroke risk by 21%.
This study supports earlier research indicating that even brief walks can significantly lengthen your life.
An 11-minute walk each day could reduce your risk of dying prematurely by nearly 25%, found in the most comprehensive study on physical activity, disease risk, and mortality published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Walking, an easy, cost-free exercise, often goes unnoticed but can significantly boost stamina, aid in weight management, and enhance heart health. A quick 10-minute walk daily offers numerous health advantages and contributes to the recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise for adults aged 19 to 64.
