Scientists have determined exactly how much time you need to walk per day to add a year to your life expectancy.
Regular exercise has long been known to reduce the risk of serious diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
For this reason, the NHS recommends that all adults be physically active every day. Ideally, you should combine muscle-building and aerobic exercise, with a target of 150 minutes per week.
But according to new research, walking just ten minutes a day could extend your life expectancy by a year if you’re over 60.
The British study found that men benefit more from exercise, with regular walking adding nearly 11 months to women’s lives, compared to 16 months for men.
The new study analyzed data from more than 40,000 women and more than 30,000 men, most of whom were in their 60s. Participants didn’t have to be fit to start: the research showed that the benefits were seen in people who were previously inactive
Currently only 20 per cent of people over 65 meet the NHS target of 150 minutes of exercise per week
The study found that additional years of life could also be gained by increasing the length and intensity of the walk.
In women, walking 30 minutes per day was associated with an extra 16 months of life, and in men with almost two and a half years.
The study analyzed data from more than 40,000 women and more than 30,000 men, most of whom were in their 60s.
And participants didn’t necessarily have to be fit: the study showed that the benefits were also seen in people who were previously inactive.
Tom Yates, a physiologist at the University of Leicester who led the research, told MailOnline: ‘We don’t know exactly why there is a difference between the sexes and we need to do more research into this.
“The important thing about this study is that we’re getting a much more accurate picture of the benefits of exercise. That’s something we haven’t seen before.”
He added: ‘The research showed that everyone benefits from more exercise, especially those who are currently moderately active.’
Dr Francesco Zaccardi, one of the lead authors of the study, said: ‘This study confirms the evidence that regular daily physical activity is a powerful determinant of health and longevity.
‘We hope that these findings will lead to public health education campaigns emphasizing the importance of small, regular additions of moderate to vigorous physical activity in adults who are currently inactive.
‘We advise public health authorities to launch campaigns that focus on ten minutes of brisk walking per day.
‘A small change can really make a big difference.’
Currently, only 20 per cent of people over 65 meet the NHS target of 150 minutes of exercise per week.
According to Marcus Davis, osteopath at the Harley Street Back Centre in London, walking is better for people over 50 than jogging.
He said: ‘Walking helps to drain excess fluid from the lower legs and can help prevent varicose veins through the pumping action of the calf muscles.
‘The increased supply of oxygen during exercise also removes waste products from the tissues.
‘And because more people are able to walk at a steady pace than run, it’s a better form of tissue cleansing, especially for people over 50, for whom jogging can be more problematic.
‘Walking is also better for the spine than running, because there is less pressure on the intervertebral discs.
‘Yet we are designed to move constantly, not to sit in the car or behind the computer, which puts negative pressure on our spinal cord.
‘Regular walking is excellent for the spine. The pumping action it causes provides the spine with minerals and vitamins.’
According to Marcus Davis, osteopath at the Harley Street Back Centre in London, walking is more beneficial than jogging for people over 50.
This latest research finding follows scientists’ discovery that 10,000 steps a day isn’t the magic number.
The Medical University of Łódź in Poland and the Medical Faculty of Johns Hopkins University in the US have discovered that taking 4,000 tablets regularly is enough to reduce the risk of premature death.
While 2,300 is enough for the heart and blood vessels, scientists found that 4,000 can reduce the risk of premature death by 15 percent.
And then it’s a case of more is more, because every additional 1,000 steps per day reduces the risk of premature death by 15 percent, until the benefit percentage stabilizes at 20,000 steps per day.