Walking This Many Steps Extra Each Day Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk

Walking 10,000 steps a day is a trendy goal, but you don’t need that many steps to help prevent heart disease. The benefits for a healthier heart start showing up much earlier, especially if you extend your walking routine by just a few minutes. A recent study looked at the walking habits of thousands of people with high blood pressure and found small changes can make a big difference. Heart Health Tip of the Day: Walk an Extra 1,000 Steps a Day Every additional 1,000 steps walked per day — up to 10,000 steps — was associated with a significantly lower risk of death, heart failure and heart attacks, the study published in August in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found. It works whether you now walk 2,000 or 5,000 steps a day. Every 1,000-step increase in the daily step count lowered the risk by about 17%, particularly when people walked faster, the paper noted. Daily step counts “well below” 10,000 steps a day were still associated with lower risk of major heart problems, the authors wrote. The risk reductions continued up to at least 7,000 steps a day, an accompanying editorial, titled “Every step counts and more steps count more,” pointed out. “The bottom line — what we need to highlight is: Don’t be sedentary. Try to be more active,” Dr. Annapoorna Kini, a cardiologist at the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York, tells TODAY.com. She was not involved in the study. “The number of 10,000 (steps) can come out. … Whatever you could do, try to add a little bit more, and that will be beneficial.” Why It Matters Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, the type of exercise that makes people breathe harder, have a higher heart rate and perspire, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes. Fast walking is one example of activities that require moderate effort. “Walking is easy, can be done any time, and it is free,” Kini says. “Most people who don’t exercise (can) at least start somewhere.” When the doctor sees sedentary patients with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, she recommends lifestyle changes such as a healthier diet and more exercise. But “most people do not follow lifestyle modification because it’s very hard thing to do,” Kini says. “Then we say, ‘You know what? Start walking.’” Walking can be done outdoors or indoors. The steps are easily measured by a phone or smartwatch, and they can add up throughout the day, though one long walk has a bigger payoff for the heart than several shorter ones, research has found. How to Get Started Add an extra 1,000 steps to your routine — it doesn’t take a lot of time or energy. It’s the equivalent of 10 minutes of brisk walking or two laps around a standard outdoor running track. If you’re in a city, it’s the equivalent of walking about five city blocks. Kini just tells her patients to do as much as they can. You don’t have to get to 10,000 steps — that target has long been promoted without a scientific foundation, the editorial notes. About 7,000 steps a day seems to be the “optimal dose,” the authors of the new study add. Download the Start TODAY app for walking challenges, meal plans and workouts designed for every fitness level. TODAY’s Expert Tip of the Day series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more.