If the idea of going to the gym or running miles makes you feel tired already, here’s some good news: you don’t need to be an athlete to live a longer, healthier life. A large new study led by heart expert Dr. Maciej Banach shows that simply walking more each day can make a big difference for your health.
The researchers looked at information from 226,889 people from around the world. What they found was simple and powerful—walking just a little more every day can lower your risk of dying early.
In fact, walking only about 4,000 steps a day can help reduce your risk of dying from any cause. If you walk just over 2,300 steps a day, you may already be lowering your risk of heart disease.
The study also showed that the more you walk, the better. There’s no limit to how much walking is good for your health. For every extra 1,000 steps you take each day, your risk of dying from any cause goes down by 15%. If you add 500 more steps, your risk of dying from heart problems drops by 7%.
This good news applies to almost everyone. The health benefits were seen in people of all ages, both men and women, and across different parts of the world. This is especially important because more than one-quarter of the world’s population doesn’t get enough exercise.
In wealthier countries and among women, this problem is even more common. The World Health Organization says that not getting enough physical activity is one of the biggest reasons people die too soon.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many people have become even less active. Even now, years after the start of the pandemic, many of us haven’t gone back to our normal levels of movement. This makes it more important than ever to find simple ways to stay active.
If you’re over 60, walking between 6,000 and 10,000 steps a day can lower your risk of early death by 42%. If you’re younger than 60, walking between 7,000 and 13,000 steps a day can lower your risk by 49%. These are big improvements—and all from walking.
It’s worth noting that the study didn’t include people who are already sick, and it didn’t look at differences between people of different races or incomes.
Still, the main message is clear: walking more is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your health and live longer. Dr. Banach even said that this kind of simple, everyday activity might work as well as some medications to prevent heart problems.
So before spending money on fancy gym equipment or fitness classes, consider just taking a daily walk. You don’t need to do thousands of steps right away—just start moving more than you did yesterday. Every step counts, and your body and heart will thank you.
This study was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
If you care about bone health, please read studies that plant-based diets can harm your bone health without these nutrients, and this bone problem may strongly increase COVID-19 death risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that too much of this vitamin may increase your risk of bone fractures, and results showing this type of exercise may protect your bone health, slow down bone aging.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
