Over the years, there’s been no shortage of dubious claims regarding pills and products that promise to reverse aging, enhance vitality, or extend life. Amongst all the hype, certain truths hold firm.
Going back to 400 BC, Hippocrates – often hailed as the father of modern medicine – wisely noted that “Walking is man’s best medicine.” Fast forward to today, and research is finally catching up with this idea.
People who manage to walk more than 8,000 steps a day can cut their risk of premature death in half compared to those who walk under 5,000 steps, which is marked as a sedentary lifestyle. However, the benefits appear to plateau after hitting that 8,000 step mark, which throws a bit of shade on the widely held belief that 10,000 steps is the magic number.
Interestingly, the 10,000-step goal wasn’t rooted in scientific research but rather was a marketing strategy. It originated in Japan during the 1960s as part of an advertising campaign for the first commercial pedometer, aptly named the manpo-kei, which translates to “10,000 steps meter.”
Recently, researchers have started to ask whether every step is equivalent, or if walking at a brisk pace—over 100 steps a minute—might actually yield greater health advantages.
Evidence is growing that pace indeed plays a crucial role, especially regarding aging and heart health. For instance, turning a 14-minute walk into a brisk 7-minute one has been linked to a 14% drop in heart disease risk.
A study involving more than 450,000 adults in the UK indicated that as people reach middle age, a lifetime of brisk walking can effectively reduce biological age by up to 16 years, in contrast to a lifetime of slower walking.
Moreover, another study indicated that it’s never too late to start reaping the benefits of brisk walking. Modelling showed that an inactive 60-year-old could add a year to their life expectancy simply by including a ten-minute brisk walk into their daily routine.
The benefits of brisk walking also point to its ability to predict future health outcomes. It has been shown to be a more reliable indicator of heart disease risk than traditional measurements like blood pressure and cholesterol, and outperforms various other lifestyle indicators, including diet and total physical activity.
In fact, perhaps one of the most telling questions a physician could pose to a patient is about their walking pace compared to others.
Broader Benefits
Yet, brisk walking doesn’t guarantee additional advantages for every health outcome. For instance, its effectiveness in reducing cancer risk compared to light-intensity walking is less clear.
Recent research suggested that while total walking correlated with a reduction in 13 different types of cancers, brisk walking didn’t offer any extra benefits. Additionally, light activity during breaks from prolonged sitting has been shown to have significant impacts on metabolic health.
Importantly, walking extends its benefits beyond just physical health—it contributes positively to brain activity and can double creative output. The very systems in our brains that support memory and imagination are also activated during physical movement.
Many people already utilize this connection, finding that walking can help them solve problems or come to insights that would otherwise escape them. Interestingly, the mental health benefits of walking seem to be amplified when done in nature.
This concept, known as “nature prescriptions,” has been leveraged in clinical settings to boost walking activity and subsequently enhance both mental and physical wellness.
Physical inactivity remains a major contributor to the modern wave of long-term health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease, affecting both developed and developing nations. Estimates suggest that around 3.9 million premature deaths could be avoided each year by addressing physical inactivity.
However, instead of focusing on preventive measures, healthcare systems are primarily structured around managing illnesses once they occur. It typically costs about $1 billion to develop a new medication, which often yields substantial profits for shareholders, underscoring the massive scale of the health industry.
If even a fraction of those costs could be redirected towards public health initiatives to promote walking and physical activity for everyone, perhaps we could see a shift away from the need for increasingly complex medical management systems.
Ultimately, if you’re in search of the secret to a longer life, taking a look at your feet—and perhaps taking more steps—might just be a good start.
