Skip short strolls – a longer daily walk is better for your heart, says study

One longer walk a day is better for your heart than lots of short strolls, especially if you don't exercise much, according to new research published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Walking for at least 15 minutes without stopping is ideal, it says. That's about 1,500 steps in a row, which gives your heart a good workout.

Many people aim for 10,000 steps a day, but that number came from a Japanese pedometer advertisement - not science. Still, experts agree more steps are generally better for your health.

The study looked at 33,560 adults aged 40–79 in the UK who walked fewer than 8,000 steps a day.

They were grouped by how long their walks were (measured with a step-counter over a week):

• less than 5 minutes (43%)
• 5 to 10 minutes (33.5%)
• 10 to 15 minutes (15.5%)
• 15 minutes or more (8%)

The researchers, from the University of Sydney and the Universidad Europea in Spain, tracked their health over eight years.

People who walked in longer stretches had a lower risk of heart problems than those who walked in short bursts.

Even among the least active - those walking under 5,000 steps a day - longer walks made a big difference. Their risk of heart disease and death dropped significantly.

Whether that's because they were fitter to begin with isn't fully clear from the study, but the researchers did try to control for this by taking into account factors like whether the person smoked, was obese or had high cholesterol.

The researchers say how you walk matters - not just how much. Walking for longer at a time, even if you don't walk much overall, appears to help your heart.

Simple changes, like setting aside time for a longer walk, could make a big difference, they suggest.

Co-lead researcher Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis said: "We tend to place all the emphasis on the number of steps or the total amount of walking but neglect the crucial role of patterns, for example 'how' walking is done.

"This study shows that even people who are very physically inactive can maximise their heart health benefit by tweaking their walking patterns to walk for longer at a time, ideally for at least 10-15 minutes, when possible."

Prof Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, said while the study shows a link between walking and better heart health, it doesn't prove that walking directly causes the improvement.

The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, like brisk walking, ideally spread out evenly across the week.

Older adults over 65 should try to move every day, even if it's just light activity around the house, the advice says.

Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Exercise helps everyone live a happier and healthier life. If you have heart and circulatory disease, it can help you manage your condition and make you feel better overall.

"You may find it hard to be more active at first, but as time goes on it'll get easier as your body gets used to the activity. You may only notice small improvements at first, but it all adds up and counts towards keeping your heart healthy."

If you are walking or cycling at night or in low light conditions, wear reflective clothing or use a flashlight or headlamp to increase your visibility to other road users.

Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.

Use designated lanes or paths, if available. Always cross at designated crossing points where road traffic is more likely to see and expect you to be crossing the road.