Good news for people who don’t like going to the gym or running for miles: you don’t have to be an athlete to get real health benefits. A large study has found that simply walking every day can make a big difference for your health. You don’t need to run marathons or lift heavy weights. Just getting up and moving, even a little, can help you live longer.
The research was led by Maciej Banach, a well-known heart doctor. His team found that walking about 4,000 steps a day can lower your risk of dying from any cause. If you walk just over 2,300 steps a day, you can already reduce your chance of dying from heart diseases.
Even better, the more you walk, the more benefits you get. There didn’t seem to be a limit on how much walking is good for you—the more steps you take, the better it is.
The study looked at information from 226,889 people from 17 different studies around the world. The results were clear: every extra step you take helps. Adding just 1,000 steps to your daily routine can lower your risk of dying from any cause by 15%.
Adding 500 more steps can lower your risk of dying from heart problems by 7%. These benefits were seen in people of all ages, both men and women, and in people living in different parts of the world.
This is important because many people today don’t move enough. The World Health Organization says that more than one out of every four people worldwide is not active enough, and this puts them at higher risk for heart disease and other serious health problems.
People living in richer countries and women, in particular, are even more likely to not get enough exercise. Not moving enough is now one of the main reasons why people die earlier than they should.
The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse. During lockdowns and restrictions, people stayed inside more and moved less. Even now, two years after the pandemic began, many of us have not gone back to being as active as we used to be. Each year, over 3 million deaths are linked to not getting enough physical activity, showing just how serious this problem is.
The study also found that walking is helpful no matter your age. If you are older, say over 60, walking between 6,000 and 10,000 steps a day can lower your risk of dying early by 42%.
If you are younger than 60, walking between 7,000 and 13,000 steps a day can lower your risk by 49%. These numbers show that walking is one of the easiest and most powerful things you can do for your health.
Of course, no study is perfect. This one did not look closely at how race, income level, or existing illnesses might affect the results. But the main message remains the same: walking more can help most people live longer, healthier lives. Banach even suggested that regular walking could work as well as some medicines in preventing heart disease.
So before you worry about joining an expensive gym or forcing yourself into a tough workout program, try something simple. Take a walk around your neighborhood, stroll through a park, or even pace around your living room if the weather is bad. Your body—and your heart—will thank you.
The study was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about how ultra-processed foods and red meat influence your longevity, and why seafood may boost healthy aging.
For more health information, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
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