A recent study shows that 4,000 daily steps are enough for improving the risk of death and heart disease by up to 90%. This finding debunks that 10,000-steps-or-nothing mantra, showing that you can still reap health benefits by taking fewer steps. Research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston included over 13,000 women aged 62 and over. During an 11-year follow-up period, they recorded information regarding the participants’ chronic disease status.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, indicate that walking just 4,000 steps can reduce the overall risk of death by up to 40% when done three or more days a week. Even more, doing this much physical activity can reduce our chances of developing heart disease by 27%. Even sporadic walking—just once or twice a week—can lead to a 26% reduction in the risk of death and a 27% decrease in heart disease risk.
All this said, in a surprise result the study determined that going beyond 7,000 steps daily did bring additional rewards. Surpassing this walking threshold reduces the risk of all-cause death by 32%. It can cut heart disease risk by 16%. In fact, these findings imply that most people are seriously underestimating the favorable effects that walking just a little can have on their health.
Our study participants had their walking activities monitored for one week. This data provided researchers with the ability to correlate daily step counts with respective health outcomes. Their findings suggest a practical, scalable way to be healthier without the intimidation of low daily step targets.
According to Dr. Tara Narula, a cardiologist and co-author of the study, making walking more convenient and safe is key to building it into our daily lives.
“It’s really about building it into your daily lifestyle and you have to be mindful of it.” – Dr. Tara Narula
She pitched realistic ideas to incorporate more walking into our everyday lives. Perhaps we might all go for a 10-minute walk during our lunch break, or maybe we have a meeting around the block.
The researchers determined that very modest increases in physical activity can have a dramatic effect on older adults’ health outcomes. The research is meant to inspire people to reconsider how active they are each day. It encourages Americans to embrace the concept that small, achievable changes are the key to big health gains.
