Most people hate exercise… perhaps we should just ask them to “move more”, or “walk more”. The data is in… walking works to improve our lifespan.
Longevity simplified… The definition of activity or exercise is changing. It used to be that you had to run, cycle, and play a sport for it to be considered exercise. As I have written about on many occasions, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Walking counts. There are now many associational studies out from around the US and other countries that demonstrate this. In 2018, the CDC released a paper showing that nearly 10% of deaths were attributed to inactivity.
A Norwegian study from 2019 showed that you have twice the risk of dying prematurely if you are sedentary.
This study from 2021 showed that it was the step counts that mattered most. It wasn’t the intensity– so walking vs. running does not matter. If you walked approx 7,000 steps per day, you had a 50-70% lesser chance of dying prematurely.
The 10,000 step number we were all told to accomplish each day was never validated.
Many studies show that simply moving throughout the day is more important than moving once a day and sitting for the rest of the day. Many studies show that the step counts necessary to result in these mortality benefits are far less than we previously thought.
But all of these studies show that sitting on our butts all day is unhealthy. The latest paper just released by the Mayo Clinic shows that the sweet spot for activity guidelines is between 2.5/4 hours of “exercise” per week. And again… walking works. If you make your day a little harder and try to squeeze in a bunch of short walks, they will add up.
Please… just move, move often throughout the day. So… what’s your next move?
I’m a 69 yr. old woman who is grieving the fact that I have osteoarthritis that prevents me from playing with my grandkids the way I used to, and narrowing my life experiences. Your articles are encouraging and motivating. Thank you.