30-Minute Walk vs. 3,000 Steps: Which Is Better for Your Health?

30-Minute Walk vs. 3,000 Steps: Which Is Better for Your Health?

Some people enjoy counting their steps every day, while others prefer to exercise for a set amount of time. Which method is more beneficial for your health?

 

A new study suggests that both approaches reduce the risk of premature death and heart disease, so choose whichever you prefer. This was reported by the medical webzine "Health Day" based on a paper by American researchers published in JAMA Internal Medicine on the 20th (local time).

 

Current U.S. exercise guidelines are time-based, with a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. However, with the rise of smartwatches, making it easier to track step counts, researchers are questioning whether step counts, rather than time units, are more appropriate for setting exercise goals.

“Exercises like tennis, soccer, walking, or jogging can be easily measured by the number of steps, whereas cycling and swimming are easier to measure by the number of minutes spent exercising,” said study lead author Hamaya Rikuta, a researcher in preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

 

“While existing physical activity guidelines primarily focus on duration and intensity of activity, we recognized that recommendations based on the number of steps increased with the proliferation of smartwatches, and therefore wanted to see which was better,” he explained.

 

The researchers analyzed data from over 14,000 women who participated in the National Women's Health Study. Between 2011 and 2015, participants aged 62 and older were asked to wear activity trackers and record their physical activity for seven consecutive days. They were instructed to remove the devices only when sleeping or engaging in water-related activities.

 

Participants engaged in an average of 62 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, accumulating approximately 5,200 steps per day. During the average nine-year follow-up period, approximately 9% of participants died and 4% developed heart disease.

 

The researchers found that the most active women had a 30-40% lower risk of premature death or heart disease, regardless of time spent or number of steps. Furthermore, women in the top three-quarters of physical activity levels lived an average of 2.2 months longer in terms of time spent and 2.3 months longer in terms of steps taken, compared to those in the bottom quarter. This survival advantage persisted regardless of differences in body mass index (BMI).

 

Researcher Hamaya said both step counts and time units have advantages and disadvantages when it comes to tracking exercise goals. It was revealed that the number of steps taken by a 20-year-old and an 80-year-old during a 30-minute moderate-intensity walk can vary significantly. On the other hand, step counts have the advantage of being simpler to measure and less subject to interpretation than time-based exercise intensity.

Step counting also captures not only the time spent exercising but also the physical activity involved in daily life. This is particularly helpful in measuring activity levels in older adults, the researchers noted. "That's why it's important that physical activity guidelines provide a variety of ways to reach goals," said Hamaya. "Movement is different for everyone, and almost all forms of movement are beneficial to our health."