This easy daily habit cuts heart risk by two thirds

Study Finds Continuous Walking Improves Cardiovascular Health

An international team of researchers from the University of Sydney and the Universidad Europea in Spain discovered that sustained walking sessions offer stronger protection for heart health than fragmented activity. Their work, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, explored how walking patterns affect the health of people who are generally inactive.

Among individuals averaging fewer than 8000 steps per day, those who concentrated their walking into one or two sessions lasting at least 10-15 minutes had a significantly lower risk of death and cardiovascular events (including heart attacks and strokes) than those whose steps came from many short bouts lasting under five minutes.

One or Two Steady Walks Can Make a Big Difference

Co-lead author Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, Deputy Director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub and member of the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, explained: “For the most inactive people, switching from brief walks here and there to longer continuous walks may come with some health benefits.

“There is a perception that health professionals have recommended walking 10,000 steps a day is the goal, but this isn’t necessary. Simply adding one or two longer walks per day, each lasting at least 10-15 minutes at a comfortable but steady pace, may have significant benefits — especially for people who don’t walk much.”

Tracking Step Patterns Over Time

The study involved 33,560 adults between the ages of 40 and 79 who typically walked fewer than 8000 steps a day and had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Participants wore research-grade wristbands for one week to record both their step counts and how their steps were distributed throughout the day.

Researchers followed their health outcomes for about eight years and found striking differences in cardiovascular risk between those who walked in short versus longer bouts:

• People who walked continuously for 10-15 minutes daily had only a 4 percent chance of experiencing a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke, compared to a 13 percent risk among those who walked continuously for just 5 minutes a day.
• The benefits were greatest for the least active individuals, particularly those taking 5000 steps or fewer. Within this group, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease fell from 15 percent among short walkers to 7 percent among those who walked up to 15 minutes at a time.
• Among the most sedentary participants (5000 steps a day or less), the risk of death dropped from 5 percent for those walking in 5-minute bouts to under 1 percent for those with longer walks.

Why Step Patterns Matter

Senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, Director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub and physical activity theme leader at the Charles Perkins Centre, noted: “We tend to place all the emphasis on the number of steps or the total amount of walking but neglect the crucial role of patterns, for example ‘how’ walking is done.

“This study shows that even people who are very physically inactive can maximize their heart health benefit by tweaking their walking patterns to walk for longer at a time, ideally for at least 10-15 minutes, when possible.”

Simple Changes, Big Results

Co-lead author Dr. Borja del Pozo from the Universidad Europea added: “Our research shows that simple changes can make all the difference to your health. If you walk a little, set aside some time to walk more often and in longer sessions. Such small changes can have a big impact.”