You don’t have to be an athlete or run long distances to stay healthy. New research shows that simply walking a little every day can help you live longer and avoid serious diseases. This is great news for people who don’t enjoy intense workouts or going to the gym.
The research was led by Maciej Banach, a well-known heart doctor. His team looked at data from more than 226,000 people who took part in 17 different studies around the world.
They found that even walking around 4,000 steps a day could lower your risk of dying early from any cause. And if you walk just over 2,300 steps a day, you can already lower your risk of dying from heart-related problems.
The more you walk, the better it gets. For every 1,000 steps you add to your daily walk, your risk of dying from any cause drops by 15%. If you add 500 more steps, your chance of dying from heart issues goes down by another 7%. These benefits were seen in people of all ages, from different countries, and in both men and women.
This is especially important because more than one in four people in the world don’t get enough exercise. This lack of activity raises the risk of heart disease and other serious health problems.
People in richer countries and women are even more likely to not get enough physical activity. The World Health Organization says not being active is one of the main reasons people die young.
The COVID-19 pandemic made this problem worse. Many people became less active during lockdowns, and even two years later, most have not returned to their old activity levels. Every year, more than 3 million people die because they don’t move enough. That’s why finding simple ways to stay active is so important.
If you’re over 60, walking between 6,000 and 10,000 steps a day can lower your risk of dying early by 42%. If you’re under 60, walking between 7,000 and 13,000 steps daily can reduce that risk by 49%.
The researchers didn’t study everything. For example, they didn’t look at how race or income affects walking and health. They also didn’t include people who were already very sick. But the message is still clear: walking more is good for your health and can help you live longer.
Banach says that walking and other natural daily activities might even work better than some medicines in preventing heart disease. So instead of spending money on gym memberships or starting hard exercise routines, you might want to begin with something easy—just take a walk each day.
This small step could make a big difference for your heart and your overall health.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about nutrients that could combat inflammation in older people, and essential foods for healthy aging.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the link between processed foods and chronic diseases, and a simple diet change for a healthier life after 65.
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