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Forget 10,000 Steps—Here’s How Many You Actually Need for Better Health

Daniel Kim Views  

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Shutterstock

Numerous studies have demonstrated the numerous health advantages of brisk walking.

Walking is frequently cited as the best form of exercise. According to earlier research, the risk of dying young is almost halved for those who walk more than 8,000 steps per day compared to those who walk fewer than 5,000 steps.

Walking 8,000 steps a day has similar health benefits to walking 10,000 steps daily, but the health benefits do not increase significantly after 8,000 steps.

Both the number of steps and walking speed have been examined in recent walking exercise studies.

“Brisk walking” refers to the idea that walking quickly is more important than walking for an extended time.

A study of over 450,000 adults in the UK found that walking briskly into middle age lowered biological age by up to 16 years compared to walking slowly.

Another study found that switching from a daily 14-minute walk to a 7-minute brisk walk decreased the risk of heart disease by 14%.

According to a related follow-up study, people who did not exercise before but walked briskly for 10 minutes a day at age 60 could extend their life expectancy by one year. It is also not too late to begin brisk walking in old age.

Brisk walking does not, however, improve every aspect of health.

A recent study examining the relationship between brisk walking and cancer risk found that walking itself decreased the risk of 13 types of cancer. However, brisk walking offered no extra advantages over regular walking.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that brisk walking offers many health advantages.

Daniel Kim
content@viewusglobal.com

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