Exercising daily has always been considered a key tip for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and prolonging one’s life. With keeping this in mind, a recent study shows that walking 6,000-9,000 steps daily can dramatically lower the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older adults. This new study also suggests that walking 6,000-9,000 steps daily can additionally decrease the chance of heart attacks or strokes by 40-50%. The study, however, found no association between increasing steps and lowering CVD risk in younger adults.
The study analyzed health data from over 20,000 individuals and found a progressive reduction in CVD risk with increased steps, with no upper limit for additional benefit. Experts say that keeping track of your daily steps is easier than you think. They suggest that if you do not have a step-tracker device or a smartphone that has a built-in step tracker, you can gauge how many steps you have walked by estimating that a half mile is about 1,000 steps. Consequently, the study suggests that people can consider setting more attainable step goals than the often-cited 10,000 steps per day target, which is not based on scientific research.
Old couple walking on beach
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Dr. Amanda Paluch, a physical activity epidemiologist and kinesiologist, says that older adults who already walk 2,000-3,000 steps daily would see a significant reduction in CVD risk by walking more. It was also noted that for every 1,000 steps added, there was an incremental improvement in lower CVD risk. While only 4.2% of younger adults had subsequent CVD events compared to 9.5% of older adults, CVD is largely a disease primarily affecting older people explaining this discrepancy. However, being physically active throughout one’s life can reduce the precursors of CVD such as high blood pressure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, which is important for the early prevention of cardiovascular disease. Consistently exercising and walking every day has benefits for those young and old.
Featured Image Source: Jacek Chabraszewski
