Another Reason to Track Your Steps

Walking associated with less cardiovascular and cancer risk

Staying active is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.  It’s been shown to help reduce stress and improve memory and now it’s easier than ever to track your daily physical activity.  Step trackers are all the rage and there are so many to choose from.  You can keep tabs on how far you’ve walked, stay motivated by digitally challenging friends and walking can be done at any age.  It’s currently recommended that adults get 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate activity weekly for optimal health.

New research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that the more you do it, even if it’s under the daily recommendations, the longer you’ll be around to reap the benefits.  Researchers reviewed data from nearly 140,000 participants in a large US prospective cohort study and found that walking (even less than two hours per week) was associated with lower all-cause mortality, when compared to inactivity.  As walking increased up to twice the recommendation (or 5 hours per week), it was associated with 20% lower risk of death.  Increased walking specifically reduced cardiovascular disease and cancer risk, with 20% and 9% less mortality risk respectively.    

Bottom line, the more you move, the better off you are!  Here are some tips to meeting your weekly step goals: 

• Get a pedometer and set a goal
• Start a challenge with friends
• Commit to walking just 15 minutes after lunch
• Walk in place when on the phone
• Walk the dog
• Walk the cart back at the grocery store

Published December 1, 2017