Do you know how to walk?

You likely think "Yeah, I do. It's left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot."

But do you know how to walk for health?

We know daily physical activity is crucial for health, right? And we know walking is good for health. Some of us shy away because we think it takes hitting the pavement or the boring treadmill for a hour at a time to do any good.

I hear people say "I'm on my feet all day. I get my x-number of steps per day." But new research is showing being on your feet all day (think school teachers, retail sales people, stay-at-home parents) doesn't equate with walking when it comes to health benefits.

What the research is showing is longer sessions of walking equals more health benefits.

Comparing 33,560 people whose average age was 62 years, who walk fewer than 8000 steps per day, but accumulate their steps in sessions of under 5 minutes per session to those whose walking sessions lasted more than 15 minutes, the all cause mortality after 9.5 years decreased from 4.36% to just 0.8%.

When the same cohort was assessed for cardiovascular disease the numbers were quite amazing. Those who walk in shorter sessions compared to those who walk in sessions over 15 minutes showed a decrease from 13.03% to 4.39%.

Even people who were predominantly sedentary - meaning fewer than 5000 steps per day - showed the same trends. Shorter walking sessions had an all-cause mortality rate of 5.13% compared .86% for those who walked in longer sessions.

We've all heard of the 10,000 steps per day rule. At this rate, a person would burn about 500 extra calories per day. But is the 10,000 steps legit as a benchmark for health improvement?

You might not know that the 10,000 steps thing started in 1965 as a marketing gimmick to sell a pedometers in Japan. There were no studies, no data, just an effort to sell more devices.

Since then, research done by Dr I-Min Lee from Harvard Medical School shows the health benefits of walking tend to level off at about 7,500 steps per day.

What it comes down to is walking is generally great for health benefits and is safe and accessible for most people. Whether you aim for 5,000 or 7,500 or 10,000 steps or more per day the best benefits come from walking least 15 minutes per session.

sources:
1) https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/boost-longevity-walk-this-way-2025a1000t8i?ecd=wnl_tp10_daily_251028_MSCPEDIT_etid7831543&uac=14937SY&impID=7831543

2) https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/10000-steps-a-day-or-fewer-2019071117305