It’s not just about the number of steps you achieve each day—it’s how you do it. Walking continuously for 15 minutes is far better for your heart than shorter bursts of five minutes or less.
People who walk without a break for up to 15 minutes reduce their risk of heart disease by nearly 70 percent compared to those who walk for a shorter time.
And people who go on longer walks still enjoy the health benefits even if they don’t reach the optimum 8,000 steps a day. They’re far less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than someone who hits the daily steps target but does so by having more and shorter walks.
A research team from the University of Sydney tracked the walking habits of 33,560 people aged between 40 and 79 who typically walked less than 8,000 steps a day. Over the eight years of the study, the researchers found there was a noticeable difference between the health of those who went on longer walks and those who strolled for five minutes or less.
People who walked continuously for between 10 and 15 minutes each time had just a 4 percent risk of a heart attack or stroke, while those who walked for just a few minutes were 13 percent more likely to have heart disease.
Those who walked for up to 15 minutes a time—but walked fewer than 5,000 steps a day—saw the biggest benefits, and they were half as likely to have heart disease.
It’s a small change to make to your daily routine, but it could have a big impact on your health, the researchers say.
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