This Is How Long You Have To Walk Every Day To Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

Daily exercise is one of the best ways to keep our bodies fit, our minds sharp and alert, and hearts healthy. But how long does one have to walk each day to lower one’s risk of heart disease?

According to the Department of Health and Human Services and supported by the American Heart Association (AHA), adults should attempt to get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. That works out to about 20 minutes a day, which doesn’t sound like a lot except for the fact that less than 1 out of 4 adults meets that goal.

A recent article posted on Verywell Health outlines the various activities, including walking, that can help us achieve our daily exercise goal and how this exercise lowers our risk of heart disease.

Your Daily Steps Are Cumulative

You do not need to do your 20 minutes of walking all at once to meet the daily AHA goal. Whether you get up and jog 20 minutes straight in the morning or spread your steps out throughout any given 24-hour period, they still count.

Behavioral exercise scientist Dr. Gerald Jerome suggests one should consider taking the stairs instead of an elevator in a building, or park farther away from a store entrance to add more steps. Do that and take a short walk around the block or go up and down the stairs in your home several times and you’ll hit that coveted 20-minute mark before you know it.

How Does Walking Improve Heart Health?

Cardiologist Dr. Smadar Kort told Verywell Health that walking increases one’s heart rate, which improves your body’s blood flow, lowers blood pressure, and strengthens your heart. Kort emphasized that it’s never “too late” to get active, so don’t get discouraged just because you got less exercise in the past.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, daily walking can help lower bad (LDL) levels of cholesterol and increase good (HDL) levels. Too much bad cholesterol in your blood can clog your arteries, greatly increasing your risk of a stroke or heart attack.

Walking 20 minutes a day can help reduce inflammation in your body, lowering your risk of diabetes, cancer, and coronary heart disease. Regular walking is also good for one’s mental health by lowering stress, which has a negative impact on our overall cardiovascular health.

Other Ways To Improve Your Heart Health

In addition to walking at least 20 minutes a day, there are other ways to improve one’s heart health.

According to the AHA, a nutritious diet comprised of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy will go a long way to improving the health and strength of your heart. Also, cutting down on high-sugar and high-salt foods — especially highly processed frozen, packaged, and canned goods — is key.

In addition, moderate your alcohol consumption and quit smoking (or don’t start) to not negate or diminish all the positive effects on your heart by walking 20 minutes a day.

So whether you choose to walk every day or log some physical activity by running, swimming, biking, gardening, or enthusiastic cleaning, remember that 20 is the magic number of minutes needed to lower your risk of heart disease.