Good news for anyone who doesn’t enjoy going to the gym or running long distances: a new study shows that just walking every day can offer big health benefits.
You don’t need to be an athlete to improve your health and live longer.
The study, led by heart doctor Maciej Banach, found that walking around 4,000 steps each day can lower your chance of dying from any cause. Even better, just 2,300 steps a day can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease.
The more you walk, the more benefits you get. There doesn’t seem to be a limit to how much walking is good for you. That means if you walk more than 4,000 or 10,000 steps, it may help even more.
This large study looked at data from over 226,000 people from 17 different studies around the world. The results were clear: every extra step counts. Adding just 1,000 steps to your day can lower your risk of dying from any cause by 15%. If you add 500 more steps, you can lower your risk of dying from heart disease by 7%.
These findings were true for everyone—young or old, men or women, no matter where they lived. This is important because more than one in four people around the world don’t get enough exercise. That number is even higher in richer countries and among women. Not moving enough is one of the main reasons people die early, according to the World Health Organization.
The COVID-19 pandemic made this problem worse. Many people became less active during lockdowns and still haven’t returned to their normal activity levels. With over 3 million deaths each year linked to lack of movement, finding simple ways to stay active is more important than ever.
For older adults, walking between 6,000 and 10,000 steps a day can lower the risk of early death by 42%. For people under 60, walking between 7,000 and 13,000 steps a day can reduce that risk by 49%.
While the study did not look at different income groups, races, or people with serious illnesses, the main message is clear: walking more helps most people live longer and stay healthier. Dr. Banach even suggests that walking might work as well as some medications when it comes to preventing heart problems.
So, if you’re thinking about joining a gym or starting a hard workout plan, you might want to start with something easier. Take a walk. It’s simple, free, and very good for your heart.
If you’re interested in wellness, check out studies on how exercise can help older people live longer and how certain diets might increase life span. You can also learn about new vaccines for COVID-19 and exercises that may help slow bone aging.
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.
The study was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
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