How Much You Need To Walk Every Day To Cut Your Risk Of Heart Disease

Walking is hugely beneficial to both our physical and mental health – perhaps even more so than we think.

Walking 21 minutes a day can reduce the risk of heart disease by 30 percent, according to a special Harvard Health report published in 2017, which is often used to emphasize the importance of walking.The report also noted that walking “has been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes and cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and keep the mind sharp.”

In other words, not only does walking have great health benefits, but it’s a free form of exercise that doesn’t require any equipment or much of a program.

If this information by itself doesn’t convince you to start walking, here are some other reasons to convince you to choose to walk, as well as suggestions on how to incorporate more walking into your daily life.

Walking is beneficial regardless of your age or health history.

Consistent walking is a great form of exercise that reduces cardiovascular mortality …… and is often associated with other health habits and behaviors.

While walking doesn’t burn as much energy as a dynamic cycling class or interval running, it’s just as valuable and can help people of all ages and health backgrounds improve their health.

Anyone can benefit from a walk.People with minimal or no cardiovascular risk can prevent disease, while people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or obesity can walk to achieve their health goals and prevent future strokes or heart attacks.

In fact, walking is good for many things.

Walking avoids being sedentary.

There may be benefits to working from your living room, kitchen or office (no commuting!), but there are also some drawbacks.Many of us are sitting more than ever before due to our current work-from-home lifestyles, and sitting all day can take a toll on our bodies over time.

It’s not that chairs are the devil or that being sedentary is bad for you, it’s that sitting too long is bad for you if you don’t exercise.

Walking in any way helps to avoid being sedentary, which is good for your health in the long run.

If you need motivation, try walking with a friend.

Walking with a friend is a great way for you to build accountability with your walking partner.Think about it: if your friend is coming to walk with you and you said yes earlier in the week, you’re more likely to lace up your sneakers.

You need to push each other to get into the habit of walking and stick to it.

And you don’t have to force your friends to take an intense, fast-paced walk together.Your body will benefit as long as you’re out walking.In addition, if you are someone who likes to talk while you walk, then a walk with a friend will bring you good conversation and laughter.

You can also listen to music or podcasts while you walk.

If you prefer to work out alone, we suggests a good podcast, audiobook, or soundtrack to keep your walks interesting.

Try telling yourself that you can only listen to this stuff on your walks.

If you can’t spare a full 21 minutes a day, that’s okay.

With work, errands, family obligations and chores, life is busy.You may not have time for yourself right now, but that’s okay.If you can’t walk the recommended 21 minutes a day, start small.

According to the Harvard Health Report, “even just a short one-minute walk has benefits.”The report notes that a 2014 study from the University of Utah found that “for every minute of brisk walking a woman did throughout the day, her risk of obesity was reduced by 5 percent.”

So start small.Take a minute this afternoon to walk down your driveway or answer a 10-minute work check-in call while you walk around the block.No amount of time is too short.

Once you’re ready, start combining different walking distances and intensities, such as speed changes and hill climbs.These two things, along with consistent habits may yield the greatest rewards.