Regular walking exercise can help extend lifespan.
Walking is well known to be good for health, but its specific benefits deserve closer examination.
A research team from Griffith University in Australia analyzed the correlation between walking, health, and lifespan using data from the U.S. life tables (2019), mortality rates (2017), and physical activity data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2003 and 2006.
Based on statistical analysis, the team divided American citizens into four groups of 25% each, according to activity levels such as walking. Group 1, comprising the top 25% of participants, included the most active individuals, while Group 4, representing the bottom 25%, included the least active.
The research team estimated that if individuals in Groups 2–4 became as active as those in Group 1, Americans over 40 could live an average of 5.3 years longer.
However, the lifespan extension varied across Groups 2–4.
The least active group, Group 4, had the greatest potential lifespan increase. The study predicted that if these individuals moved as much as Group 1, their life expectancy could increase by 11 years.
Walking just one additional hour could increase these individuals’ life expectancy by six hours. This demonstrates that the most significant health and longevity benefits occur when the least active people start moving.
While walking 10,000 steps a day is commonly recommended for good health, new findings challenge this notion.
According to research from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, walking approximately 2,400 steps daily can reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases. One does not need to force oneself to reach 10,000 steps daily.
This research analyzed 17 studies involving 226,889 participants worldwide through a meta-analysis. The average participant age was 64, with women making up 49% of the sample. The average follow-up period was 7.1 years.
The research team indicated that walking more than 2,400 steps daily is beneficial, but increasing that number to 3,967 steps or more can further lower the risk of death from all causes. They also noted that walking at least 2,337 steps daily reduces the risk of death from heart and vascular diseases.
They added that increasing one’s daily steps by 500–1,000 significantly reduces the risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular diseases.
An increase of 1,000 steps per day reduces the risk of death from all causes by 15%, while an increase of 500 steps reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases by 7%.
However, simply walking more does not guarantee better health. Proper walking techniques are essential.
First, walking quickly is recommended. Increasing walking speed enhances muscle-strengthening effects. Fast walking strengthens the leg muscles around the thighs. The repeated rapid contraction and relaxation of muscles improve blood circulation and increase vascular wall elasticity.
Since fast walking engages more muscles than slow walking, it raises the heart rate and burns calories more effectively. A good target is to walk briskly enough to feel slightly out of breath, making it difficult to talk or sing while walking.
If maintaining a fast pace is challenging, interval walking—alternating between fast and slow walking—is an effective option.
This type of exercise involves not fully resting after high-intensity activity. Instead, incomplete recovery allows the body to regain strength while starting the next round of activity before it fully stabilizes.
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