STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Walking is one of the most accessible forms of exercise, requiring no special equipment, and supports your health whether you stroll around your neighborhood or simply walk to run errands

• While many people track daily step counts or minutes of activity, new evidence suggests that the speed of your walking may play an even greater role in health outcomes

• A large U.S. study revealed that brisk walking, even as little as 15 minutes daily, reduced overall mortality risk by nearly 20%. It delivered the strongest protection to cardiovascular health

• Beyond longevity, walking supports nearly every system in your body, from improving blood sugar control to boosting mood, strengthening bones, and enhancing immune resilience

• Other ways to maximize the benefits of walking include incorporating interval walking training, using a weighted vest or Nordic poles, having a walking buddy, and choosing outdoor routes for sunlight and stress relief

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Walking is one of the most accessible ways to care for your health. You don’t need special gear, a gym membership, or a carefully planned routine — simply do it on your way to the store, around your neighborhood, or during a short break in your day. With every step, you’re engaging your body in a movement that has supported human health for generations.

Much of the conversation around walking has centered on how many minutes you log or whether you hit familiar targets like 10,000 steps a day. These measures are useful for keeping track, yet they overlook an equally important aspect of walking that influences how much you actually gain from it — the speed of your stride.

That simple but often ignored factor was the subject of a study recently published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Nearly 80,000 adults from different backgrounds were followed for close to two decades, as researchers looked beyond step counts to ask a deeper question — could the pace of your walk reveal more about its impact on your health and longevity than time alone?

New Study Shows Pace Changes the Payoff of Walking

To explore whether speed matters as much as time on your feet, researchers asked participants to report how long they walked each day and whether it was at a slow or brisk pace. This simple distinction allowed them to capture everyday walking habits in a way that reflected real life, rather than a laboratory setting. Over years of follow-up, they compared walking patterns with health outcomes to see which approach offered greater protection.1

• The study followed long-term outcomes — Researchers tracked deaths over nearly two decades and compared them with participants’ reported walking patterns. This extended follow-up made it possible to see how daily pace translated into survival, while also accounting for other lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking, and different forms of exercise.

• Brisk walking lowered the risk of early death — Participants who reported including brisk, deliberate walking in their daily routine showed a clear survival advantage compared to those who walked only at slower paces.

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  What stood out most was that the benefit did not require an extreme level of effort. According to the authors, “Fast walking as little as 15 minutes a day was associated with a nearly 20% reduction in total mortality.”2

• Cardiovascular disease was most affected — The protective effect of brisk walking was strongest against deaths caused by cardiovascular conditions, particularly ischemic heart disease and heart failure. These diseases remain the leading causes of death worldwide, and the study showed that even a modest daily practice of brisk walking provided meaningful protection against them.

• Slow walking still offered benefits — Participants who reported more than three hours of slow walking per day had only a small, statistically borderline reduction in overall mortality, and the results were not as consistent as those for brisk walking.

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  However, in a secondary analysis, longer durations of slow walking were associated with reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, echoing prior studies that suggest light-intensity walking still supports cardiometabolic health.

• Brisk walking acted as an aerobic workout — A faster pace was described in the study as a form of aerobic exercise that improves cardiac output, increases oxygen delivery to muscles, and makes the heart pump more efficiently. These changes strengthen cardiovascular health, help regulate weight and blood pressure, and reduce the risks tied to obesity and poor metabolic function.

• The benefits held regardless of other exercise — Brisk walking reduced mortality risk regardless of how much other leisure-time physical activity participants engaged in, including activities such as bowling, dancing, golfing, softball, jogging, aerobics, bicycling, tennis, swimming, weightlifting, or basketball. This means walking briskly adds another layer of protection for those who already lead active lives.

• People with health conditions gained the most — The improvements from brisk walking were particularly pronounced in participants who entered the study with chronic health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity. For these individuals, walking faster helped restore lost ground, improving circulation, metabolism, and cardiac function in ways that offered outsized benefits compared to healthier participants.

But how fast exactly is brisk walking? In the study, brisk walking was defined by the participants’ own sense of moving at a faster, deliberate pace — enough that your heart works harder and your breathing deepens compared to casual strolling. Public health guidelines describe this as the level of effort where you’re able to talk but not sing comfortably, which typically falls in the range of 2.5 to 3 miles per hour.3 4

Other Ways Walking Benefits Your Overall Health

While the study highlights that brisk walking delivers the greatest protection, it’s important to remember that walking in any form remains one of the most valuable habits to build into your life. Beyond its effect on longevity, walking is a low-impact activity that supports nearly every system. Here are some of the key ways walking strengthens and protects your health:

• Improves blood sugar control and metabolic health — Regular walking helps your muscles absorb glucose more efficiently, which lowers blood sugar levels and improves insulin sensitivity. This makes walking particularly important for preventing or managing Type 2 diabetes. Studies also show that daily walking lowers the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and helps regulate weight by increasing energy expenditure.5 6

• Strengthens bones and muscles — Walking strengthens your bones and muscles by providing weight-bearing stimulation each time your feet strike the ground. That impact signals bone cells to build and maintain density, lowering your risk of osteoporosis.7

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  At the same time, the repeated contraction of your leg and core muscles keeps them active, improving protein turnover and preserving muscle fibers. This ongoing engagement helps prevent sarcopenia, the gradual loss of strength and muscle mass that accelerates with age.8

• Enhances mitochondrial function and slows aging — Walking stimulates the creation of new mitochondria and enhances the function of existing ones