Nov 06, 2025
3 min read
New research suggests that walking regularly for longer periods of time is better for your heart.The authors of the study and the manager of the order process explained why.
A new study shows that walks really do need to be this long for optimal heart health
According to a new study, people who walked continuously for 10 to 15 minutes at a time every day, compared to people who walked for five minutes, had fewer cases of stroke.
The benefits of even more walks were even more for those who took a total of 5,000 steps a day alone.
To deliver cardiovascular rewards, experts say the body needs a high level of activity or effort per minute.
"Snacks" for workers are popular for a reason: these small movements that you fit in throughout the day can help increase your fitness over time, but how do you not believe in a short time?
New research published in Internal Medicine suggests that, at least for heart health, you may want to take at least 10 minutes of walking a day.
Fortunately, this time is not long, but it challenges the idea that there are a few steps to be taken here, all at the risk of creating the seeds of seeds.This is the reason why.
Meet the experts: Christopher Berg, is a cardiologist at Memorial and Vascular Instital Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.Emmanuel Stomatakis, MD, is a co-author of the study and a professor of exercise, health and population at the University of Sydney.Borja del pozo cruz, MD, is a leading author and professor in the sports department at the University of Denmark.
What does the study show?
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 33,560 people between the ages of 40 and 79 who walked fewer than 8,000 steps a day and had no history of heart disease or cancer.
Participants wore fitness trackers for a week to track the number of steps and the distribution of those steps throughout the day.The researchers then followed the health of the participants for about eight years.
The researchers found that those who walked continuously for 10 to 15 minutes a day had a risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke of about 4%, while those who walked for only about 5 minutes at a time had a 13% risk.
The greatest benefits were felt by people who were less active overall (i.e. those who took 5,000 steps or less per day).In this group, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease fell from 15% in light walkers to 7% in those who walked for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Why might long walks be better?
There is something going on here.Dr.
Dr. Borja del Pozo Cruz, lead author of the study and a professor in the Department of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark, said this could be particularly beneficial for people who are not normally active.Even at moderate speeds, a combination of both is achieved,” says del Pozo Cruz.
On the other hand, low-intensity walking doesn't allow the heart muscle to "fire up" long enough to stimulate these benefits, Stamatakis said.
While this all makes sense in theory, keep in mind that the participants' walking habits were tracked for only one week and that the study only found a link between low walking -- it didn't prove that walking significantly increased the risk of heart problems, said Christopher Berg, MD, a cardiologist at Memorial Care Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange County Medical Center.
So how long should a walk last?
These findings don't mean exercise snacks aren't worthwhile. "For people who are currently inactive, the first and most important step is to start moving — any increase in daily steps can help," Delposo Cruz said.
But once you've done that, del Pozo Cruz suggests incorporating longer, uninterrupted walks of at least 10 minutes at a brisk pace.Over time, you can increase the speed and duration of your walks, he says.
Blace explains that this can take some advantage on your end, especially if you're setting aside time at the end of your day to walk your staff around."Long periods don't happen by accident," he said.
In the end, according to Stamatis, pushing time and speed is the best way to go.
You can love
