Copyright TODAY
You know physical activity is good for you. But if you've only got a few minutes, is it worth putting on your sneakers? Recent research suggests the answer is a resounding yes. Even short bouts of activity, including walking, have health benefits. Longer walks provide an even bigger boost to your overall health, but you can start to get those benefits with just 15 minutes of walking. Check out the Start TODAY app for walking workouts with best-in-class trainers and more. Trainer Tip of the Day: Walk Just 15 Minutes to Get Health Benefits While longer walks may have even more benefits than shorter walks, you can still get a boost from a brief 15-minute walk. “People assume that if they don’t have a lot of time, it’s not even worth trying to squeeze in a workout," Stephanie Mansour, a certified personal trainer and TODAY fitness contributor, said previously. “But the truth is that completing a short workout daily can really make a difference for your health.” In a study published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers looked at activity data for more than 33,500 participants. All of the participants had 8,000 or fewer steps in a day and were 62 years old, on average. Participants who got their steps in walks of 15 minutes or more had a lower risk for death compared to those who got a similar amount of steps per day in walks lasting less than 15 minutes. Meanwhile, a previous study found that just 11 minutes of walking can help prevent early death and reduce your risk of some disease. “Our results are encouraging for those who currently do very little activity; it really makes a big difference to your health if you manage to do just a little bit, so we hope that would motivate more people to move," Søren Brage, Ph.D., co-author of the paper and head of the Physical Activity Epidemiology group at the University of Cambridge, told TODAY.com at the time. Other research shows that just 20 minutes of extra physical activity per day, which can include walking, is enough to reduce your risk for hospitalizations due to nine different health conditions. And other studies have shown benefits from as little as 10 minutes of exercise. Why It Matters Regular walking has so many physical and mental health benefits, including reducing back pain, improving blood pressure and maintaining mobility. But if you're under the impression that you need to devote a huge chunk of time to your walks in order to reap those benefits, you might just skip a walk when you don't have that time. The truth is much simpler: Any amount of activity, no matter how small, is good for you. While there isn’t really a perfect number of minutes or steps to get, if you have a chance for a walk in your day, take it — no matter how short — especially if the alternative is being sedentary. Mixing up your workouts, including your workout times, has unique benefits, too. So take the opportunity to walk longer when you can, but don't beat yourself up if you cut your walk a little shorter. Either way, you're still doing good for the body and mind. How to Get Started As with any fitness regimen, it's important to start small and progress gradually when you're beginning a new walking routine. If you can't walk for 15 minutes straight yet, start with what you can do and build up to longer walks over time. “It starts to spiral upwards. If you’re walking for five minutes, you might increase it to 10,” Dr. Mark A. Slabaugh, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, told TODAY.com previously. “That good upward trend helps you in many different ways.” If you're not sure where to start, check out our monthly Start TODAY walking challenges.
