Despite the importance of walking on a daily basis, the pace and manner of walking is the secret factor for improving health and burning calories, according to a new study.
New research shows that a “fast pace” in walking leads to positive outcomes for heart disease, cancer and dementia, in addition to the total number of daily steps taken.
The research confirms that a person’s walking speed is no less important than the number of steps they take per day, according to the website “The Independent”, reports a local Arabic daily.
Walking 10,000 steps a day has long been associated with a lower risk of dementia, heart disease, cancer and death. But experts have now discovered that faster pace, such as “vigorous walking”, shows benefits beyond the number of steps recorded.
Co-lead author Matthew Ahmadi, a researcher at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Center, said: “Our finding is that for the sake of preventative health benefits, people can aim not only to reach 10,000 steps per day, but also aim to walk faster.”
“For less active individuals, our study also shows that up to 3,800 steps per day can cut the risk of dementia by 25 percent,” said Associate Professor Borja del Pozo Cruz of the University of Southern Denmark, who is also a senior health researcher at the University of Cadiz.
According to the research, walking every 2,000 steps reduces the risk of premature death by 8 percent to 11 percent, or nearly 10,000 steps a day. Similar links were seen for cardiovascular disease and cancer incidence.
The faster pace also showed positive outcomes for heart disease, cancer, dementia and death, as well as the total number of daily steps taken.
“Step counts are easily understood and widely used by people to track activity levels thanks to the growing popularity of fitness trackers and apps, but people rarely think about their step pace,” said study author Emmanuel Stamatakis, professor of physical activity.