We know walking is essential for good health, and research shows that both the number of steps you take each day and the intensity of your walking are essential to get the most heart health benefits.
But according to a study published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine, focusing on one long walk may have greater benefits than spreading it out over shorter walks.
The research team behind the study looked at the daily behavior of more than 30,000 UK adults using data from the UK Biobank. The average age of participants was 62 years.
Participants were divided into four groups based on how consistently they walked each time: less than 5 minutes, 5 minutes to just under 10 minutes, 10 to nearly 15 minutes, and 15 minutes or more.
The study found that more than 40% of participants fell into the group that walked for less than five minutes. But the study also showed that walking every 15 minutes or more was associated with a lower risk of heart disease and mortality.
“This was especially true for people who are mainly sedentary, that is, who do not meet the guidelines for physical activity, or who are essentially sitting all day, which could be most of us,” says Borja del Pozo Cruz, a professor at the Faculty of Sport Sciences at the University of Europa de Madrid, who was involved in the study.
Research shows that the ideal number of steps for maximum health benefits is between 8,000 and 10,000 steps, with peak benefits at 10,000 steps. Americans walk an average of 4,800 steps a day, according to a 2017 study using smartphone accelerometer data.
“The longer you walk, the greater (and) better the health effects are,” del Pozo Cruz says.
To get the most benefit from aerobic exercise, you need high volume, high intensity, or both
To get the maximum health benefits from aerobic exercise, del Pozo Cruz explains, you need to move at high volumes (8,000 to 10,000 steps a day), high intensity (fast pace), or both.
“If you walk 10,000 steps, you’ve already gained that amount,” del Pozo Cruz says.
“They’ve probably walked more than 10,000 times, so some of those steps are more intense, giving them the mix of intensity and volume needed to stimulate the heart’s protective mechanisms.”
On the other hand, people who are sedentary and take far less than 8,000 steps are often below their ideal step count and often walk less intensely, he said.
Most people in this group accumulate steps “from one room to another; (or) from an apartment to a car. That’s it,” del Pozo Cruz says.
“These exercises tend to be very low-intensity. There’s not enough intensity, there’s not enough volume. You need to at least continually accumulate steps so that you can activate your cardioprotective mechanisms,” he added.
The study showed that people who walked for longer periods at a time had better heart health than those who walked in shorter intervals, even if they took the same number of steps as inactive people.
While it’s best to consult a medical professional before making any major changes to your exercise habits, with this new evidence, Del Pozo-Cruz wants people to focus on not just the number of steps they take each day, but also the amount of time they spend walking.
“This information can be used in the clinic to provide more nuanced advice in addition to ‘walk 30 minutes a day’ or ‘get some exercise,'” del Pozo-Cruz says.
“Most patients are sedentary, so if your doctor advises you to take longer walks, like 15 to 20 minutes at a time, it’s much more beneficial than counting every step, accumulating activity as much as possible and being active throughout the day.”
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