Walk your way to live healthier, longer (spoiler: health benefits start at 2.5k steps/day)
Walk every day to reduce your risk of premature death, heart disease and cancer. But don't just look at your step count. Pace matters too.
Keep walking. Live healthier, longer | Creative by Anjul D.
Walking is among the first things we learn to do as babies. Turns out it is among the most effective and affordable ways to keep our bodies and minds healthier. It could also help add years to our lives.
But don’t beat up yourself if you don’t hit the 10k step mark on a daily basis. Research shows health benefits from walking start adding up even if you clock 2,500-4,000 steps a day. Of course, the more you walk, the better are the benefits.
Every step you take..the benefits increase
In what has been touted as one of the world’s largest studies on walking published in 2023, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 17 studies worldwide covering over 2,27,000 participants. Here’s what they found:
As step count increases, risk of death from any cause reduces.
Walking as little as 4,000 steps a day can significantly reduce risk of deaths from any cause.
You need fewer steps to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease.
Benefits compound as step count increases.
An increase of 1,000 steps a day equals a 15% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause.
An increase of 500 steps a day reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) disease by 7%.
Overall risk reduction was lesser in people over 60 years as compared to those below 60.
These findings held across genders and weather zones. However, the study authors also caution that being an analysis of other studies, increased step counts in this paper could only be associated with reduced risk of death. It should not be considered a cause-effect relationship.
Speed matters
Meanwhile, a year earlier, in the UK, researchers strapped trackers on people's wrists to study walking and its impact on health. They looked at how step count was associated with disease/mortality. Then they also studied if the speed at which you walk makes a difference.
Here’s what they found:
The takeaway: Even walking 2,500-4,000 steps at a brisk pace (80-100 steps/minute) could give you significant benefits. In fact, in a quote he gave to the New York Times, Matthew Ahmadi, one of the authors of the study and a research fellow at the University of Sydney said:
“It doesn’t have to be a consecutive 30-minute session…It can just be in brief bursts here and there throughout your day.”
Meaning: You can turn daily chores like your grocery run or dropping off your kids to school into longevity workouts by just walking faster.
There are more benefits to walking
Walking reduces obesity risk : Of course you know this. In fact, most people start walking to lose weight. Interestingly, this study found that a ‘brisk one-hour daily walk reduced the genetic influence towards obesity, measured by differences in BMI, by half.
On the other hand, a sedentary lifestyle marked by watching television four hours a day increased the genetic influence by 50 percent.’ Meaning if you have a family tendency for obesity, lace up those shoes and hit the road.
It also helps you cut back on snacking: The next time you find yourself reaching for a bar of chocolate or a bag of chips because you have nothing better to do, go for a walk. And watch those cravings melt away. This study found the results hold, across BMI levels.
It reduces breast cancer risk in women: This study found that walking even 1 hour daily could reduce breast cancer risk by 23% in women during or after menopause.
Walk to reduce knee pain: This might sound contradictory, but this study found that walking regularly reduces the occurrence of new instances of knee pain in people with painful knee joints. But, of course, if you have painful knees, consult a doctor before you start walking or any other physical activity.
Walk to counter the damage from sitting: If you sit at a desk for hours together at work, this is for you. This research found that even walking for 22 minutes a day can help counter the damage from a sedentary lifestyle. Researchers found that risk of premature death reduced as activity levels increased.
The maximum benefit came from hitting the 10k step target daily.
So, how many steps should you walk?
Yes I am well aware that I started by telling you even 2,500- 4,000 steps will give you health benefits. And that is true. However, that is the bare minimum you must do. But don’t step there. Set a weekly target. Increase your step count or walking duration a little every week. Go on till you hit 10k. (And don’t beat yourself up on days that you don’t).
Think of it like investing in an SIP. The benefits correspond to the amount you invest and the time you stay invested. Similarly, with walking, the more you walk, more are the benefits. Walk every day - aka, stay invested - and see the benefits compound.
That’s enough talk now, about walking. Let’s go, walk the talk!
(Note: Part of the above list of benefits were sourced from this Harvard Health article. However, in every case, I have linked you to the original research).
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Before you go
New research** that speaks to all of us (well, most of us; myself included).
If you are a ‘weekend warrior’ or a ‘weekend sleeper’ these should make you smile.
This new paper published in Nature Aging suggests that people who get 50% of their exercise quota on weekends or their days off may benefit just as much as those who exercise every day. This was specifically in terms of reduced risk for Dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
The standard recommendation is that one must get at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every week to stay healthy.
Another paper shows that those who catch up on their sleep during weekends ‘may see their risk of heart disease fall by one-fifth (20%)’. But the paper’s authors caution that ‘there is a lack of research on whether this compensatory sleep helps heart health’.
(**Not a recommendation. This is just a report on a new study. Please consult doctors before you make any decisions).
My thoughts: These research findings are extremely appealing, especially for those of us who are time-poor or just plain lazy. But I would rather err on the side of caution and strive to get my daily dose of exercise and sleep.
It is a long and not easy road to longevity. Personally, I would prefer to avoid shortcuts and enjoy the long, scenic route. I hope you all agree.
See you next Monday!
Kavita Krishnan.