Walking Benefits Mental and Physical Health as Well as Lifespan
According to science, regardless of your pace, walking is one of the most well-studied ways to improve mood, boost energy levels, and prevent various diseases.
Research shows that walking increases heart rate and improves blood circulation, which can help reduce pain, muscle soreness, stress, and depression, while enhancing cardiovascular health.
You don’t need to walk 10,000 steps a day to see benefits. Studies indicate that walking just 4,400 steps daily can extend your lifespan.
Fast walking helps extend life expectancy (Image: Istock).
The Mayo Clinic recommends at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day, which can be broken down into smaller segments, such as three 10-minute walks or gradually increasing over time.
In a study by the Mayo Clinic, the walking habits of 475,000 people were tracked. Results showed that fast walkers could live up to 20 years longer, regardless of their BMI.
Women who walked briskly had an average lifespan of 87 years compared to 72 for slower walkers, while men saw their average lifespan increase to 86 years from 65.
Walking for exercise is recognized as an effective way to counteract the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Another study found that just 25 minutes of brisk walking per day could add 7 years to your life. Even moderate regular exercise can reduce aging symptoms and cut the risk of heart attack in half.
Brisk walking helps protect against obesity-related risks, lowers blood pressure, and may prevent diabetes and stroke.
Dr. Mark Lin, a podiatrist at Footwork Clinic in Sydney, Australia, states that brisk walking offers benefits similar to running, boosting heart rate, reducing stress, toning muscles, and strengthening overall fitness.
Those capable of walking faster are likely healthier and have better overall health. You can start at a moderate pace and gradually increase speed.
Brisk walking is defined as completing at least 100 steps per minute or 5 km per hour and acts as an antidepressant, improving cognitive function and potentially slowing the onset of age-related dementia.
The cumulative benefits of exercising apply regardless of when you start. People who begin in their 70s are less likely to develop atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder affecting 10% of those over 80.
Higher-intensity exercise often yields greater health benefits, so moving more frequently and at higher intensity will always yield better results. Increasing speed, no matter where you are, can help you live longer. Even 10 minutes of brisk walking can reduce early death risk by 15%.
Brisk walking, especially uphill, enhances cardiovascular workouts and burns calories while building leg muscle mass.
Brisk Walking Reduces Aging Signs
According to Business Insider, a study published in Communications Biology found that faster walking speeds are associated with fewer biological aging signs in a large group of older adults. Specifically, it can reduce aging signs by up to 16 years in middle age.
Researchers from the University of Leicester and the Leicester Biomedical Research Center examined genetic data from 405,981 middle-aged residents in England, averaging around 50 years old.
They compared participants’ walking speeds with biological aging signs by measuring telomeres, a key indicator of cellular health.
Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes or DNA strands that provide stability during cell division. As we age, telomeres shorten, like a burning candle, shorter telomeres are linked to age-related diseases like cancer.
Data showed that those who walked briskly (over 4.8 km/h) had longer telomeres on average compared to slower walkers. Moreover, the benefits seemed related to the intensity of the activity rather than total steps or walking time.
Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/viec-lam-don-gian-nay-giup-keo-dai-them-20-nam-tuoi-tho-20250210170640150.htm
