{"id":5147,"date":"2025-01-28T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=5147"},"modified":"2024-12-04T16:55:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T21:55:17","slug":"how-much-should-you-walk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/how-much-should-you-walk\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Should You Walk?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Walking Your Way To Health<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/walking-your-way-to-health\/fitness-instructor-in-exercise-class-for-overweight-people\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4697\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4697\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Overweight-Exercise-Depositphotos_59875603_s-2015-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Overweight People Exercising\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Overweight-Exercise-Depositphotos_59875603_s-2015-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Overweight-Exercise-Depositphotos_59875603_s-2015.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>You\u2019ve made your New Year\u2019s resolutions. And if you are like millions of Americans, you may already be making plans to join a gym, get a personal trainer, or join a spin class.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is these are all expensive options. And a good portion of that money is wasted. To put it into perspective, let\u2019s look at some statistics<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Around 6 million Americans buy gym memberships every January.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>67% of those memberships are never used.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>For those memberships used in January, another 50% are not in use 6 months later.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Americans spend about 1.6 billion dollars on unused gym memberships every year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>And that doesn\u2019t include those gym memberships that are only occasionally used.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you want to get fit and healthy in the new year, perhaps you should consider a less expensive option \u2013 like walking. Your only investments are a good pair of walking shoes and a device that keeps track of the number of steps you take (eg, Fitbit, smart watch, or smart phone).<\/p>\n<p>You still may give up on your New Year\u2019s goal of getting fitter at some point. But you won\u2019t have wasted so much money.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, you probably have some questions about the benefits of walking, such as:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">1) Is walking enough to significantly improve my fitness and health?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">2) How far (how many steps) should I walk?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">3) How fast should I walk?<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, two recent studies (<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/fullarticle\/2796058\">B del Pozo-Cruz et al, JAMA Internal Medicine, 182: 1139-1148, 2022<\/a><\/span>) and (<a href=\"https:\/\/diabetesjournals.org\/care\/article-abstract\/45\/9\/2156\/147209\/Optimal-Number-of-Steps-per-Day-to-Prevent-All\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">J del Pozo-Cruz et al, Diabetes Care, 45: 2156-2158, 2022<\/span><\/a>) have answered all three questions.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>How Were These Studies Done?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/will-a-healthy-lifestyle-help-prevent-alzheimers-disease\/alzheimers-study\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3615\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3615\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/alzheimers-study-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"clinical study\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/alzheimers-study-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/alzheimers-study.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>The first study (<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/fullarticle\/2796058\">B del Pozo-Cruz et al, JAMA Internal Medicine, 182: 1139-1148, 2022<\/a><\/span>) followed 78,500 participants (average age 61, 55% female, 97% white) enrolled in the UK Biobank study for an average of 7 years.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of enrollment, each participant was given an accelerometer (a device that measures the number and frequency of steps) to wear on their dominant wrist for 24 hours\/day for 7 days. The investigators used the accelerometer data to categorize several types of physical activity.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Daily step counts<\/strong><\/span> (the average number of steps per day for 7 days). These step counts were further subdivided into two categories:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Incidental steps<\/strong><\/span> (It was assumed that \u02c240 steps\/min represented steps taken that were incidental to normal daily activities).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Purposeful steps<\/strong><\/span> (It was assumed that \u226540 steps\/min represented steps taken as part of planned exercise).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Stepping intensity<\/strong><\/span> (the highest frequency of steps\/min averaged over 30 min intervals for all 7 days).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At the end of the study, each of these variables was correlated with the risk of premature deaths due to all causes, cancer, and heart disease.<\/p>\n<p>The second study (<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/diabetesjournals.org\/care\/article-abstract\/45\/9\/2156\/147209\/Optimal-Number-of-Steps-per-Day-to-Prevent-All\">J del Pozo-Cruz et al, Diabetes Care, 45: 2156-2158, 2022<\/a><\/span>) was similar except that it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Used data from 1687 adults (average age = 55, 56% male, with diabetes or prediabetes when the study began) in the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the US.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Followed participants for 9 years instead of 7.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Only measured total steps\/day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Correlated total steps per day with premature death for participants who already had prediabetes or diabetes when they entered the study.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Walking Your Way To Health<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/walking-your-way-to-health\/woman-walking-dog\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4698\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Woman-Walking-Dog-Depositphotos_8162077_L-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"woman walking dog\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Woman-Walking-Dog-Depositphotos_8162077_L-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Woman-Walking-Dog-Depositphotos_8162077_L-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Woman-Walking-Dog-Depositphotos_8162077_L-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Woman-Walking-Dog-Depositphotos_8162077_L-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Woman-Walking-Dog-Depositphotos_8162077_L.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Study 1<\/strong><\/span> looked at the effect of walking on health outcomes in multiple ways.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>#1: Increase in number of steps\/day<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On average study participants took an average of 7200 steps per day, but this ranged from a low of 3,200 steps\/day to a high of 12,200 steps\/day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Each increase of 2,000 steps\/day was associated with a:\n<ul>\n<li>8% decrease in all-cause mortality.<\/li>\n<li>11% decrease in cancer mortality.<\/li>\n<li>10% decrease in heart disease mortality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Overall, increasing from 3,200 steps\/day to 10,000 steps\/day decreased all-cause, cancer, and heart disease mortality by around 36%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>There was no minimum threshold to this beneficial effect of walking on the risk of premature death.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The benefits of walking appeared to plateau at 10,000 steps\/day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>#2: Increase in number of incidental steps\/day<\/strong> <\/span>(steps taken that are incidental to normal daily activities):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On average study participants took 3240 incidental steps\/day, but this ranged from a low of 2,100 steps\/day to a high of 4,400 steps\/day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Each 10% increase in incremental steps\/day was associated with a:\n<ul>\n<li>6% decrease in all-cause mortality.<\/li>\n<li>6% decrease in cancer mortality.<\/li>\n<li>10% decrease in heart disease mortality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>#3: Increase in number of purposeful steps\/day<\/strong><\/span> (steps taken as part of planned exercise):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On average study participants took 4,600 purposeful steps\/day, but this ranged from a low of 1,600 steps\/day to a high of 8,600 steps\/day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Each 10% increase in purposeful steps\/day was associated with a:\n<ul>\n<li>7% decrease in all-cause mortality.<\/li>\n<li>8% decrease in cancer mortality.<\/li>\n<li>10% decrease in heart disease mortality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>#4: Increase in speed of walking or cadence.<\/strong><\/span> The measurement they used was \u201cpeak-30 cadence\u201d \u2013 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/walking-your-way-to-health\/senior-couple-power-walking-in-the-park\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4699\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Walking-Fast-Depositphotos_4788738_L-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Walking Fast\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Walking-Fast-Depositphotos_4788738_L-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Walking-Fast-Depositphotos_4788738_L-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Walking-Fast-Depositphotos_4788738_L-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Walking-Fast-Depositphotos_4788738_L-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Walking-Fast-Depositphotos_4788738_L.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>highest average steps\/min during a 30-minute interval within a day:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On average study participants had a \u201cpeak-30 cadence\u201d of 76 steps\/min, but this ranged from a low of 47 steps\/min to a high of 109 steps\/min.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Each 10% increase in \u201cpeak-30 cadence\u201d was associated with a:\n<ul>\n<li>8% decrease in all-cause mortality.<\/li>\n<li>9% decrease in cancer mortality.<\/li>\n<li>14% decrease in heart disease mortality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The benefits of walking rapidly (increase in \u201cpeak-30 cadence\u201d) were <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>in addition to<\/strong><\/span> the benefits seen by increasing the number of steps per day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Overall, increasing from a \u201cpeak-30 cadence\u201d of 47 steps\/min to 109 steps\/min decreased all-cause, cancer, and heart disease mortality by an additional 34%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>There was no minimum threshold to this beneficial effect of increasing \u201cpeak-30 cadence\u201d (the speed of walking) on the risk of premature death.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The benefits of increasing \u201cpeak-30 cadence\u201d appeared to plateau at 100 steps\/min.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/best-diet-for-heart-disease-prevention\/strong-heart\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3518\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3518\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/strong-heart-300x239.jpg\" alt=\"strong heart\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/strong-heart-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/strong-heart.jpg 567w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>#5 Effect of walking on the prevention of heart disease and cancer<\/strong>:<\/span> The investigators measured this by looking at the effect of walking on the \u201cincidence\u201d of heart disease and cancer (defined as new diagnoses of heart disease and cancer) during the study. They found.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Each 2,000-step increase in the total number of steps\/day decreased the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by 4% during this 7-year study.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Each 10% increase in the number of purposeful steps\/day decreased the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by 4% during this study.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Each 10% increase in \u201cpeak-30 cadence\u201d decreased the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by 7% during this study.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The authors concluded, \u201cThe findings of this population-based\u2026study of 78,500 individuals suggest that up to 10,000 steps\/day may be associated with a lower risk of mortality and cancer and CVD incidence. Steps performed at a higher cadence may be associated with additional risk reduction, particularly for incident disease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Study 2<\/strong><\/span> extended these findings to diabetes. They started with participants that had either prediabetes or diabetes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/vitamin-c-and-diabetes\/vitamin-c-and-blood-sugar-glucose-test\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3415\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3415\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/vitamin-c-and-blood-sugar-glucose-test-231x300.jpg\" alt=\"diabetes\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/vitamin-c-and-blood-sugar-glucose-test-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/vitamin-c-and-blood-sugar-glucose-test.jpg 304w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><\/a>and followed them for 9 years. They found that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Study participants with prediabetes ranged from a low of 3,800 steps\/day to a high of 10,700 steps\/day.\n<ul>\n<li>Prediabetic participants walking 10,700 steps\/day were 25% less likely to die during the study than participants walking only 3,800 steps\/day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Study participants with diabetes ranged from a low of 2,500 steps\/day to a high of 10,200 steps\/day.\n<ul>\n<li>Diabetic participants walking 10,200 steps\/day were also 25% less likely to die during the study than participants walking only 2,500 steps\/day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Even small increases in the number of steps per day decreased the risk of premature death for both prediabetic and diabetic participants.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Once again, 10,000 steps\/day appeared to be the optimal dose to lower the risk of premature death for both diabetic and prediabetic patients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The authors of this study concluded, \u201cAccumulating more steps\/day up to ~10,000 steps\/day may lower the risk of all-cause mortality of adults with prediabetes and diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>How Much Should You Walk?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/can-you-lose-weight-without-going-on-a-diet\/couple-walking-in-the-woods\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4456\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4456\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Walking-Couple-Depositphotos_18423941_s-2015-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Walking Couple\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Walking-Couple-Depositphotos_18423941_s-2015-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Walking-Couple-Depositphotos_18423941_s-2015.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>That was a lot of information. You are probably wondering what it means for you. Let\u2019s start with the big picture:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Going from couch potato to 10,000 steps per day may reduce your risk of premature death due to all causes, cancer, and heart disease by 36% (24% if you are already prediabetic or diabetic).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Increasing the speed with which you walk from 47 steps\/min to 109 steps\/min sustained for 30 minutes may reduce your risk of premature death by an additional 34%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words, simply walking more and walking faster can have a significant effect on your health. I am not recommending walking as your only form of exercise. I\u2019m just saying not to consider it inferior to other forms of exercise.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>There is no lower limit to the benefits of walking. Even small increases in the number of steps\/day you take and the speed with which you walk may have a beneficial effect on your health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words, you don\u2019t need to speed walk 10,000 steps\/day to reap a benefit from walking. Even small increases are beneficial. That\u2019s good news for those of you who may not be able to speed-walk long distances. It also means that if you are a couch potato, you don\u2019t need to attempt 10,000 steps at high speed from day 1. You can work up to it gradually.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Incidental walking (walking that is incidental to your daily activities) is almost as beneficial as purposeful walking (walking as part of a planned exercise).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s good news for those of you who may not have time for long walks. It also means that advice like \u201cpark your car at the far end of the parking lot and walk\u201d or \u201ctake the stairs rather than the elevator\u201d can have a meaningful impact on your health.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The benefits of walking appear to max out at around 10,000 steps per day and a cadence of 100 steps\/min sustained for 30 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That means once you get to those levels, it\u2019s time to consider adding other kinds of exercise to your regimen. More and faster walking may offer little additional benefit.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, in the words of the authors, \u201cThis information could be used to motivate the least active individuals to increase their steps and the more-active individuals to reach the 10,000-step target.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>The Bottom Line<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You\u2019ve made your New Year\u2019s resolutions. And if you are like millions of Americans, you may already be making plans to join a gym, get a personal trainer, or join a spin class.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to get fit and healthy in the new year, perhaps you should also consider a less expensive option \u2013 like walking.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, you probably have some questions about the benefits of walking, such as:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Is walking enough to significantly improve my fitness and health?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">2) How far (how many steps) should I walk?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">3) How fast should I walk?<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, two recent studies have answered all three questions. They found:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Going from couch potato to 10,000 steps per day may reduce your risk of premature death due to all causes, cancer, and heart disease by 36% (24% if you are already prediabetic or diabetic).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Increasing the speed with which you walk from 47 steps\/min to 109 steps\/min sustained for 30 minutes may reduce your risk of premature death by an additional 34%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>There is no lower limit to the benefits of walking. Even small increases in the number of steps\/day you take and the speed with which you walk may have a beneficial effect on your health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Incidental walking (walking that is incidental to your daily activities) is almost as beneficial as purposeful walking (walking as part of a planned exercise).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The benefits of walking appear to max out at around 10,000 steps per day and a cadence of 100 steps\/min sustained for 30 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the words of the authors of these studies, \u201cThis information could be used to motivate the least active individuals to increase their steps and the more-active individuals to reach the 10,000-step target.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more details on these studies and what they mean for you, read the article above.<\/p>\n<p><em>These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0_____________________________________________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n<p>My posts and \u201cHealth Tips From the Professor\u201d articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.<\/p>\n<p>My answer is, \u201cYes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company\u2019s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a \u201cmisleading health claim\u201d that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.<\/p>\n<p>For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/resources\/health-products-compliance-guidance\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/resources\/health-products-compliance-guidance<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0______________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>About The Author<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/what-kind-of-protein-is-best-for-strength\/chaney-suzanne-steve-11-21-15\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4932\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4932\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chaney-Suzanne-Steve-11-21-15-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chaney-Suzanne-Steve-11-21-15-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chaney-Suzanne-Steve-11-21-15-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chaney-Suzanne-Steve-11-21-15.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators \u201cExcellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.<\/p>\n<p>Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called &#8220;Health Tips From the Professor&#8221;. He has also written two best-selling books, &#8220;Slaying the Food Myths&#8221; and &#8220;Slaying the Supplement Myths&#8221;. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, &#8220;Create Your Personal Health Zone&#8221;. For more information visit <a href=\"https:\/\/chaneyhealth.com\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">https:\/\/chaneyhealth.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Walking Your Way To Health\u00a0 Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney\u00a0 You\u2019ve made your New Year\u2019s resolutions. And if you are like millions of Americans, you may already be making plans to join a gym, get a personal trainer, or join a spin class. The problem is these are all expensive options. And a good portion of &#8230; <a title=\"How Much Should You Walk?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/how-much-should-you-walk\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Much Should You Walk?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[439,460,724,1,1048],"tags":[89,25,22,207,13,42,1238],"class_list":["post-5147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diabetes","category-heart-disease","category-heart-health","category-uncategorized","category-walking","tag-cancer","tag-diabetes","tag-heart-disease","tag-heart-health","tag-longevity","tag-walking","tag-walking-fast"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Much Should You Walk? - Health Tips From The Professor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You have set your goal to walk more often. 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