According to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, you don’t have to walk 10,000 steps every day to reap health advantages.
The meta-analysis, which looked at data from 17 research and 226,889 participants, emphasizes the value of walking even if it seems insignificant.
The researchers discovered that walking 3,967 steps or more per day lowered the chance of dying from any cause. Walking 2,337 steps or more per day reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular illness, which includes heart disease and stroke.
Researchers also discovered that walking 1,000 additional steps per day resulted in a 15% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 7% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
All of this is a welcome piece of news as most people struggle to hit that 10,000-step goal.
“The problem has been that the recommended 10,000 steps per day and the definition of physical inactivity of less than 5,000 steps per day has been really difficult for most patients to achieve.
“It almost leads to a sense of fatalism that many members of the public feel that they can’t reach these recommendations,” said Dr. Keith Ferdinand, the chair of preventative cardiology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.
The study “does not mean that the 10,000 steps per day recommendation is incorrect; it simply gives the public confidence that moderate activity is better than none,” added Ferdinand, who was not involved in the study.
Indeed, the more you walk, the better your health. The study discovered that persons who walked more steps had the lowest risk of dying prematurely. Those who walked 20,000 steps or more every day, in particular.
“If you can’t achieve 10,000 steps per day, don’t despair. Some activity is better than none. But then, on the other hand, if you can safely achieve those 10,000 steps per day, you may even have greater benefit in terms of mortality,” Ferdinand added.
