For a long time it was thought that exercise was only valid if it was done over a fairly long period of time or combined with a good gym routine, with official guides suggesting a minimum of 10 minutes straight for the activity to “count” as valid. But this has changed radically.
Blocks don’t matter. The systematic reviews that have been done have shown that the reduction in mortality is similar whether the operation is performed sporadically or in blocks. Therefore, the 2020 WHO guidelines have removed the threshold for any time during exercise, so the current message is quite clear: every minute of activity counts.
Not always though. However, for those who are sedentary or not very active, walking with some consistency has added value. Here, a recent Spanish study led by the European University of Madrid analyzed more than 33,000 adults in the UK Biobank who took 8,000 or fewer steps a day. And what they saw was that the risk of cardiovascular events dropped dramatically depending on how they grouped that data.
What it found was that the incidence was 13% in those who walked for less than five minutes, and it dropped to 4.4% in those who accumulated most of their steps in stretches of 15 minutes or more. Therefore, although we think we need to walk continuously for 30 minutes, the reality is that 10-15 minutes is enough for these people, which is much more bearable.
Rhythm is important. An afternoon of leisurely window shopping does not count as cardiovascular exercise, even if we spend an hour going from store to store. Here we conclude a study published in 2022 as a reference that 5 km/h is the perfect practical threshold to detect a moderate intensity walk in adults. And walking properly can have the same benefits for cholesterol or high blood pressure as going to the gym, as long as enough exercise is done.
This is why the pace at which we walk has a direct impact on our life expectancy, as a large British study with more than 50,000 participants found that walking at a fast pace was associated with 24% fewer general deaths and 21% fewer cardiovascular deaths than walking at a slower pace.
It does not replace the gym at all. Although on a purely cardiovascular and energy expenditure level, walking at a good pace is remarkably effective, the reality is that we are talking about an exclusively aerobic exercise. Here the research teams indicate that energy work is an independent and non-interchangeable protective factor.
For example, a meta-analysis found that muscle-strengthening activities alone were associated with a 10–17% lower risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease. This is why, with the recommendation of 150 to 300 minutes of aerobic activity per week, we must add at least two days of strength training per week.
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