United Kingdom, November 17, 2025: We've all heard about the magic number of 10,000 steps a day. But groundbreaking new research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on October 28, 2025 suggests that the pattern of your walking matters and not just your total steps count. This could be the key to protecting your heart and living longer.
Researchers from the UK Biobank analyzed data from 33,560 adults aged 40-79 with an average age of 62 years who were taking 8,000 or fewer daily steps. Over nearly 8 years of follow-up, the findings were striking: people who accumulated their steps in longer walking bouts had significantly lower risks of death and cardiovascular disease compared to those who took the same number of steps in short, scattered bursts throughout the day.
Lead researcher Dr. Borja del Pozo Cruz explains: "Even if you don't reach that 10,000 steps number, taking a few longer walks rather than many short, scattered steps can make a real difference for heart health and longevity."
The study tracked participants over 7.9 years, documenting 735 deaths and 3,119 cardiovascular events. The results were clear:
For All-Cause Mortality at 9.5 Years:
| Walking Bout Length | Mortality Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| <5 minutes | 4.36 |
| 5–10 minutes | 1.83 |
| 10–15 minutes | 0.84 |
| ≥15 minutes | 0.8 |
For Cardiovascular Disease Incidence:
| Walking Bout Length | CVD Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| <5 minutes | 13.03 |
| 5–10 minutes | 11.09 |
| 10–15 minutes | 7.71 |
| ≥15 minutes | 4.39 |
The sweet spot?
Walking in 10–15 minute bouts appears to deliver the strongest cardioprotective benefits.
The famous 10,000 steps guideline actually traces back to a 1964 marketing campaign by a Japanese step counter company. The number was chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) resembles a person walking and not because of scientific evidence.
The truth is more nuanced. According to this latest research, if you're taking 8,000 or fewer steps daily, focus on quality over quantity. Even 5,000 to 7,999 daily walking steps can provide substantial health benefits when accumulated in longer walking sessions.
Dr. del Pozo Cruz notes: "These particular findings are most relevant for people who are sedentary or take fewer than about 8,000 steps a day."
According to the NHS, a brisk 10-minute daily walk offers significant health benefits and counts toward your recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise.
Benefits of walking as per American Diabetes Association are:
Decrease in blood glucose levels
Heart health improves
Enhanced metabolism
Weight loss or maintenance becomes easier
Blood pressure decreases
HDL (“good”) cholesterol increases
LDL (“bad”) cholesterol decreases
Better mood and improved memory
According to Carmen Swain, director of the health and exercise science program at Ohio State University, walking can be initiated at any stage of life. The same physiological benefits experienced by younger individuals are equally achieved by those in their sixties and beyond.
This is encouraging news for older adults or those who haven't exercised regularly. Your body responds to walking regardless of when you start, making it one of the most accessible forms of exercise for all age groups.
1. Build Walking Into Your Routine: Integrating walking into your daily routine doesn't require major lifestyle changes. Simple adjustments like taking stairs instead of lifts, walking to nearby shops rather than driving, and organizing regular walks with friends or family can dramatically increase your daily step count.
2. Use Music or Podcasts: Walking while listening to music or podcasts can make the time pass quickly and help you maintain a good rhythm. You'll be surprised how fast the walk goes when you're engaged with your favorite content.
3. Track Your Progress: Apps to track daily walks and calories burned can provide motivation and help you see your improvement over time. The NHS Active 10 app, for instance, tracks both distance and speed while setting achievable goals.
4. Join a Walking Group: Walking groups offer social connection and accountability. Group walks makes it easier to stay motivated and discover new routes.
5. Add Variety: Mix up your routes to keep things interesting. Explore parks, heritage trails, canal towpaths, riverside paths, and nature reserves. Urban environments offer just as many opportunities as countryside settings.
For those looking to maximize their walking routine, several apps offer tracking and guided routes:
Active 10 by NHS: Focuses specifically on encouraging users to complete ten-minute bursts of brisk walking daily. It's a simple, evidence-based app aimed at improving health.
Pacer: Functions primarily as a step counter but also includes fitness plans and community challenges to keep users motivated and engaged with friends and family.
MapMyWalk: Utilizes GPS to accurately map and track walking routes, speed, distance, and calories burned. It provides detailed data for users who want precise route planning and performance metrics.
Strava: Popular among runners and cyclists, it offers robust GPS tracking, social features to connect with other athletes, and the ability to join clubs and compete in challenges.
Google Fit: An integrated platform for tracking health and fitness data, working with other apps and devices. It uses "Heart Points" and "Move Minutes" as activity goals based on guidance from the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization
These apps help you monitor your daily walking steps and ensure you're achieving those beneficial longer bouts identified in the research.
This landmark study adds crucial nuance to public health recommendations. While hitting 10,000 steps daily is admirable, even people taking fewer steps can significantly reduce their cardiovascular risk by focusing on sustained walking bouts.
"Everyone can benefit from walking, there's really no group for whom walking is harmful," Dr. del Pozo Cruz emphasizes.
So the next time you're deciding between multiple short walks throughout the day or one longer brisk walk, choose the latter.
1. Del Pozo Cruz B, Ahmadi M, Sabag A, et al. Step Accumulation Patterns and Risk for Cardiovascular Events and Mortality Among Suboptimally Active Adults. Ann Intern Med. 2025.