Walking this many minutes a day can reduce your death risk by 30%

Every health and wellness article tells you to exercise if you want to lose weight, improve your brain health, and even increase your productivity at work. But what if you haven’t set foot in a gym since your bygone days as the unfit kid that nobody wanted on their dodgeball team? How can those who hate exercise get fit enough to avoid an early death?

Good news. A new study from Cambridge, published in Lancet Global Health, states that just a 7-minute brisk walk every single day is enough to reduce one’s risk of death by one-third.

The ultimate health hack

It’s not hyperbole – your lack of exercise could be fatal. And a leisurely walk every day isn’t going to do the trick. You need something more, and luckily, scientists have discovered the key to a reduced risk of death.

A study from Cambridge University, after analyzing data over 90,000 individuals who wore fitness trackers over the course of two years, found that they were able to link the death risk to the type and intensity of one’s physical activity level. And the result? “At least 3.9 million” deaths could be prevented each year if the deceased had been more physically active.

The study shows that people who don’t exercise have a much higher death risk than those who do. However, for various reasons ranging from health conditions to excess weight or lack of time, working out can be difficult for some.

A slow stroll unfortunately does not yield the same results; it’s vital that at least seven minutes of your walk are intense enough to leave you with a little sweat on your brow.

Just walking? Really?

“Risk of death” is a big, scary phrase – one that might sound like clickbait, especially if it can be reduced with something as simple as a walk. And many might be discounting exercise entirely due to their inability to run, as aerobic exercise is supposedly better for you. But studies show that walking could be just as good for your health as running, if not better.

A 2013 study from the Journal of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology used data from 33,000 runners and 15,000 walkers aged 18 to 80 amalgamated over six years to calculate energy used in proportion to the health benefits of each exercise. It was reported by the study that walkers experienced “experienced greater health benefits than runners” in a number of ways.

In terms of reducing heart disease, runners reduced their risk by 4.5%, while walkers reduced it by 9.3%. Blood pressure was also reduced more by walking to the tune of 7.2%, whereas running lagged behind with only a 4.2% reduction. The data continues in a similar trend with those on the verge of high cholesterol, who had their risk reduced by 4.3% for runners and 7% for walkers.

It should be noted that the study included “moderate walkers,” which means those subscribing to the seven-minute hack would be included in the study. The CDC recommends a goal of 10,000 steps per day, meaning a distance of 5 miles. This, of course, is a flexible suggestion, and depends on the health of the walker. Consult your doctor if you have ambulatory issues, as they may have recommendations for altering your exercise strategies.

How to make sure you walk 7 minutes a day

Luckily for those who aren’t so adept at exercising, Harvard Medical School has a particular way to measure whether or not you’re walking fast enough to save your life.

Harvard has constructed something called the “Perceived Exertion Scale,” which allows you to use your respiratory rate and your ability to talk while working out as a measure for intensity. Runners may already know this as the “talk test.”

The definition of a “brisk walk,” the type that will reduce your risk of an untimely demise, is indicated by “breathing becoming heavier” and “talking becoming difficult.” So if you’re making phone calls during your daily walks, you should make sure that for at least seven minutes, you should be doing more listening than talking. However, if you lose the ability to speak entirely, you might be working out a bit too hard – or at least too hard for this seven-minute hack.