For years, reaching a daily goal of 10,000 steps has been deemed the ideal benchmark for physical fitness. However, new research suggests that prioritizing the duration of exercise could be equally beneficial for weight loss, promoting longevity, and reducing heart disease risk.
Conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, this study analyzed data from nearly 15,000 women aged 62 and older over a four-year period. Each participant wore a fitness tracker to log their activity levels and completed annual health questionnaires.
The findings indicated that women who walked between 8,000 and 8,500 steps each day lowered their heart disease risk by 40% compared to those who averaged about 3,000 steps. Notably, the study also revealed that participants who exercised for approximately 75 minutes daily experienced similar health benefits, challenging the necessity of focusing solely on step count.
Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the study highlighted that women in the trial wore hip-mounted fitness trackers to monitor both their step count and exercise duration.
Dr. Rikuta Hamaya, the lead author and a researcher in the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, emphasized that there is no “magic” number for physical activity. He noted, “For some, especially younger individuals, exercise may include activities like tennis, soccer, walking, or jogging, which can be easily tracked by steps. For others, such as those cycling or swimming, measuring exercise duration is simpler. Therefore, physical activity guidelines should provide various methods for achieving fitness goals.”
The study involved 14,399 healthy women, aged 72 on average, who had no history of heart disease or cancer. From 2011 to 2015, participants wore their fitness trackers continuously, even while sleeping or showering. Researchers collected annual data on lifestyle habits, including smoking and alcohol consumption, as well as physical measurements and medical histories.
The follow-up, which continued through 2022, revealed that participants averaged about 62 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week and recorded an average of 5,183 steps daily. By the study’s end, 9% of participants had died, and 4% had developed heart disease.
The researchers categorized the women based on their exercise minutes and steps taken. Those who engaged in approximately 200 minutes of exercise or walked 8,000 to 8,500 steps significantly reduced their risk of heart disease and mortality by up to 40% compared to those in the lowest activity percentile, who averaged just 9 to 12 minutes of exercise or 2,800 to 3,000 steps.
The study’s authors concluded that these results support the idea that individuals can effectively choose between step-based or time-based exercise goals to lower their risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. They advocate for including both types of guidelines in future physical activity recommendations to give individuals the flexibility to monitor their preferred activity metrics.
However, the study has its limitations, including a lack of diversity among participants, who were predominantly white and of higher socioeconomic status. Additionally, being an observational study means that the findings are not definitive.
This significant research was published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, paving the way for a re-evaluation of conventional exercise targets.
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