Exercise - Every Bit Helps

If you worry about not getting enough daily exercise, there's some reassuring news. A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found walking just 4,000 steps a day, roughly two miles, may reduce your risk of early death. The threshold was even lower—around 2,500 steps per day—when looking specifically at the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

Researchers derived these figures by analyzing step count and health data on nearly 227,000 people from 17 studies performed in Australia, Japan, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. They found that the more steps people took, the lower their risk of dying. They reported that each extra 1,000 steps per day were associated with a 15% reduction in a person's overall risk of death.

The researchers pointed out that their findings are observational, not cause and effect, but they say the trends held across the different geographic locations and for men and women.

However, they found some age differences. Adults older than 60 saw about a 42% drop in mortality risk when they walked between 6,000 and 10,000 steps per day, while those younger than 60 saw a roughly 49% reduction when they walked between 7,000 and 13,000 steps per day.

Lead author Dr. Maciej Branch, a professor of cardiology at the Medical University of Lodz in Poland, says the main takeaways are "Do your best and try to get as many steps in as possible. Also, it's best to start doing this when you're young to gain the highest benefits."

Many still believe 10,000 steps a day is the threshold needed to stay healthy, which often isn't doable when balancing work and home needs and perhaps changing seasons. Setting a lower step count and knowing that every extra bit helps is certainly more comforting, practical, and encouraging.