A few extra minutes on your walk could mean a lot for your heart.
- If you usually take quick, five-minute walks, you might want to stretch them out a little longer. According to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people who walked 10 to 15 minutes continuously each day were significantly less likely to experience cardiovascular problems than those who walked in shorter bursts.
- Even among those taking fewer than 5,000 steps a day, participants who took longer, unbroken walks had much better heart health outcomes.
- “Your heart and lungs get a chance to work continuously when you walk for ten to fifteen minutes or longer without stopping,” says Emmanuel Stamatakis, PhD, co-author of the study and professor of physical activity, lifestyle, and population health at The University of Sydney.
What the Research Found
Researchers tracked 33,560 adults aged 40 to 79 who did not have cancer or cardiovascular disease and typically walked fewer than 8,000 steps a day.
Each participant wore a fitness tracker for a week, allowing scientists to measure not only step count but also how those steps were distributed throughout the day. The participants’ health was then monitored for roughly eight years.
Here’s what they discovered:
- People who took continuous 10–15-minute walks had about a 4% risk of a heart event (such as a heart attack or stroke).
- Those who only walked for around five minutes at a time had a 13% risk.
- The biggest benefit appeared among less active people—those taking 5,000 steps or fewer each day—whose risk dropped from 15% to 7% when they added longer walks.
Why Longer Walks Matter
Most of the walking done in the study was light-intensity activity, says Dr. Stamatakis. But even light walking, when sustained for 10 to 15 minutes, allows your heart, lungs, and muscles to work in sync, improving oxygen use and overall circulation.
This continuous movement—sometimes called “steady-state exercise”—can help condition your cardiovascular system more effectively than scattered, shorter bursts of movement.
According to Borja del Pozo Cruz, PhD, lead author of the study and professor at the University of Southern Denmark, “the body needs either sufficient volume or intensity to gain cardiovascular benefits—and continuous walking provides a bit of both, even at moderate speeds.”
Shorter walks may simply be too brief to keep the heart “switched on” long enough to deliver these benefits, he adds.
But Don’t Dismiss Short Walks Entirely
Cardiologist Christopher Berg, MD, of the MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute in Fountain Valley, California, cautions that while the findings are compelling, the study only observed participants’ activity for a week. “It found an association, not direct proof that walking less raises heart risk,” he explains.
Still, experts agree that any amount of movement helps. “The first and most important step for people who are currently inactive is simply to start moving—any increase in daily steps helps,” says del Pozo Cruz.
How to Make the Most of Your Walks
If you’re just getting started, keep things simple: aim for 10 minutes of continuous walking at a brisk but comfortable pace. Once that becomes easy, gradually increase both your time and speed.
Dr. Berg suggests finding natural ways to fit walking into your day—like taking a lunchtime stroll, walking meetings, or an evening walk after dinner. “Walking for longer periods of time won’t happen by accident,” he says.
In the long run, consistency matters most. “You need to either increase the intensity or lengthen the session to get the most out of it,” Stamatakis adds.
The Bottom Line
A few extra minutes on your walk could make a measurable difference for your heart health. If you can, aim for 10 to 15 continuous minutes a day—your cardiovascular system will thank you.
Sources: Annals of Internal Medicine; University of Sydney; University of Southern Denmark; MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute.
