Jan 12, 2025 19:00:00

It turns out that one hour of walking can extend your life by six hours

Many people understand that walking is good for their health, but are unmotivated because they are not sure how effective it actually is. A new study led by a team from

Griffith University in Australia showed surprising results that 'one hour of walking could extend life expectancy by six hours in people who are not physically active.'

Physical activity and life expectancy: a life-table analysis | British Journal of Sports Medicine
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2024/10/07/bjsports-2024-108125

Simple secret to a longer life - Griffith News
https://news.griffith.edu.au/2024/11/27/simple-secret-to-a-longer-life/

A Single One-Hour Daily Walk Could Add Six Hours to Your Lifespan : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-single-one-hour-daily-walk-could-add-six-hours-to-your-lifespan

Previous research has shown that low levels of physical activity are associated with a higher risk of developing various diseases and a higher mortality rate. However, estimates of the difference in life expectancy between people with low and high physical activity, and the extent to which increasing physical activity can extend life expectancy, were unclear.

The research team analyzed data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which recruits 5,000 participants per year. Participants were over 40 years old at the time of data collection between 2003 and 2006, and physical activity data was collected using wearable trackers.

Applying a

life table model that tracks mortality at specific points in time, the researchers found that if all Americans aged 40 and older were to engage in as much physical activity as the top 25% of the population, their life expectancy would increase by an average of 5.3 years. Furthermore, the researchers argue that if the bottom 25% of people with low physical activity increased their physical activity to the same level as the most active 25% of people, their life expectancy could increase by about 11 years.

The research team said, 'The greatest lifespan benefit per hour of walking was seen in people in the lowest quartile of activity. For these people, an additional hour of walking could add 376.3 minutes (about 6.3 hours) to their lifespan.'

The study also found that the risk of death was 73% lower in the top 25% of physically active people compared to the bottom 25%. However, people who are sufficiently physically active are already reaping the benefits of exercise, so walking longer may not make much difference.

'This is not an unreasonable expectation - 25% of the population already does it,' said Professor Lennert Fehlmann , lead author of the paper. 'If we can increase investment in promoting physical activity and create living environments that encourage it, such as walkable and bikeable neighbourhoods and convenient and affordable public transport, we could not only extend life expectancy but also reduce the strain on our healthcare system and the environment.'