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Walking fast increases life expectancy: Research
Don’t have time to go to the gym or the gym? Don’t worry, adding at least 15 minutes of brisk walking to your daily routine can help you stay healthy, according to a new study.
Walking fast increases life expectancy: Research
Dr. Wei Zheng, lead author of the study, said that 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week is generally associated with significant health benefits. But if you’re having trouble finding the time, brisk walking for at least 15 minutes a day can provide the same benefits. The research team conducted a study between 2002 and 2009, mainly on low-income and black people. About 85,000 people in the study were asked to fill out questionnaires about their exercise habits, average time, walking speed, and health. Their data was collected again in 2023, 16 years later, and analyzed.
Zheng said, “We know that brisk walking is better than slow walking. But there is little research on how many minutes of brisk walking you should do on average. The study found that walking at least 15 minutes a day reduced the risk of premature death by about 20 percent among participants. Whereas for slow walkers (those who walked more than 3 hours a day), this rate is only 4 percent.
Dr. Andrew Freeman, who was not involved in the study, said, “It has long been known that walking speed is related to health outcomes. That is, the faster you walk, the better you will do. Because, it is natural that someone who is very sick will not be able to walk fast.
Health benefits of walking
Walking controls body weight and blood sugar, reduces the risk of cancer, relieves pain in various joints of the body and increases immunity.
Regular exercise relaxes blood vessels, lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of cancer and many other diseases. Walking every day also reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s or memory loss. It also improves sleep, reduces inflammation and improves brain structure.
Zheng said, slow or fast—any walking provides some benefit. However, the benefits of just 15 minutes of brisk walking a day have been proven even more. It reduces the risk of heart failure, irregular heartbeat and type 2 diabetes.
According to Dr. Freeman, exercise is one of the most effective ways to lower blood pressure. For every 20 points increase in blood pressure above 120, the risk of heart disease almost doubles. Regular exercise significantly reduces this risk.
Increase your heart rate
According to the UK’s National Health Service, if you can talk but not sing, you can understand that you are walking fast. If you want, you can increase your walking speed by using a metronome or tempo meter.
Freeman suggests, do a brisk walk, cycling, swimming or your favorite exercise in the morning before work. If you have the opportunity, go to a recreation center or walk outside.
Standing up straight and walking with your shoulders back in the right position and swinging your arms along with it reduces back pain, facilitates breathing and maintains balance. While walking, the swing of the arms should be in the opposite direction to the legs, in line with them.
To take it a step further, practice breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth during exercise. This helps regulate blood pressure and prevent high blood pressure.
