In a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, researchers found walking every day may help people live longer.
They found people who took about 7,000 steps a day had a 50% to 70% lower risk of dying from all causes during after 11 years of follow-up when compared with people who took fewer steps each day.
They also found that accumulating a greater number of steps/day was linked to h an incremental lower risk of mortality until leveling off at approximately 10,000 steps/day.
The study is from the University of Massachusetts. One author is Amanda Paluch.
The team showed that quicker steps weren’t necessarily any better. Step intensity, or the number of steps per minute, didn’t influence the risk of dying.
The team says steps per day is a simple, easy-to-monitor metric and getting more steps/day may be a good way to promote health.
Step-counting devices can be useful tools for monitoring and promoting physical activity.
They suggest that 7,000 steps/day may be a great goal for many individuals who are currently not achieving this amount. This can mean adding a 20-minute walk into your daily schedule.
People don’t need anything fancy or expensive to help count steps either. There are many free apps for smartphones that work extremely well.
Other researchers say that the new study looked at the risk of dying, but other outcomes matter, such as quality of life and mental health.
If you care about exercise, please read studies about walking could bring you long-term health benefits and findings of faster walkers may live longer, even if they are obese.
For more information about exercise, please see recent studies about slower walking speed could predict mobility problems 8 years later and results showing that walking before dinner cannot lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
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