A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that older adults who took 4,000 steps on one or two days a week had a 26 percent lower risk of early death compared to those who never reached that number.
They also had a 27 percent lower risk of developing heart disease.
The researchers discovered that the more often people walked, the greater the benefits.
Those who walked 4,000 steps three or more days each week saw their risk of early death drop by about 40 percent.
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"Because of today’s low step counts, it’s increasingly important to determine the minimum amount of physical activity required to improve health outcomes, so that we can offer realistic and feasible goals for the public", said I-Min Lee, one of the study’s authors, in The Harvard Gazette.
The minimum, not the maximum
Ulf Ekelund, a professor of physical activity and health at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, believes some movement is always better than none.
However, he warns against treating 4,000 steps as an ideal goal, but perhaps as a minimal threshold for those over 70.
He noted that other studies suggest the ideal daily step count for people over 60 is around 7,000.
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Those who already walk more, he added, should keep it up.
Focus on the total, not the timing
The Harvard researchers emphasized that what truly matters is the total number of steps, not how they’re distributed across the week.
There is no single best way to reach your steps. Health benefits come whether you walk fast or slow, in one long session or spread throughout the day.
Ulf Ekelund also offered advice for those who want to increase their activity levels.
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“Try adding 500 steps per day at first, then increase by 1,000 after a couple of weeks”, he suggested.
For older adults dealing with pain or mobility issues, he recommended finding a form of movement that feels manageable, such as walking or cycling.
Although the study included only women over 62, Ulf Ekelund believes the results apply broadly.
Sources: Forskning.no, British Journal of Sports Medicine, and The Harvard Gazette.
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