walking 100 to 129 steps per minute or more than 130 steps per minute, respectively, was good for the study participants’ overall health and welfare, and was threefold more advantageous than normal walking, which is defined as walking 60 to 99 steps per minute.
Matthew Nayor, MD, MPH, a cardiologist at Boston Medical Center, assistant professor of medicine at Boston University and the principal author of the study, said, “We expected to find that higher amounts of moderate-vigorous physical activity, like exercise, would lead to better peak exercise performance, but we were surprised to see that higher-intensity activity was also more efficient than walking in improving the body’s ability to start and sustain lower levels of exertion”.
Nayor added, “If your goal is to improve your fitness level, or to slow down the inescapable decline in fitness that occurs with aging, performing at least a moderate level of exertion [through intentional exercise] is over three times more efficient than just walking at a relatively low cadence”. Furthermore, Nayor’s team discovered that increasing one’s level of physical activity might help to counteract some of the health problems linked with a sedentary lifestyle.
Nayor said, “We observed that individuals with higher-than-average steps per day, or moderate-vigorous physical activity, had higher-than-average fitness levels, regardless of how much time they spent sedentary. So, it seems that much of the negative effect that being sedentary has on fitness may be offset by also having higher levels of activity and exercise”. Hence, if you intend to enhance your general health and fitness, you do not have to give up your regular walks for a rigorous workout, you only need to step up the pace a little.
