Is taking one long walk better for you than several short ones?

A major new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that one continuous walk lasting at least 15 minutes could be more beneficial for the heart and longevity than breaking up walking into several short sessions throughout the day.

The research, which tracked more than 33,000 adults in the United Kingdom over nearly a decade, found that people who typically walked in longer, uninterrupted stretches had lower risks of heart disease and early death compared with those whose steps were taken in brief bursts.

The findings are challenging long-held assumptions that the total number of daily steps is all that matters.

How the study was conducted

The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Sydney and the Universidad Europea in Spain, examined data from 33,560 adults aged 40 to 79 who generally walked fewer than 8,000 steps per day — a level considered below optimal daily activity.

Each participant’s walking pattern was measured using accelerometers over a week, allowing researchers to analyse not only how many steps they took, but how those steps were distributed throughout the day.

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Participants were divided into four groups according to the average duration of their walking bouts:

• Less than five minutes (43 per cent)

• Five to ten minutes (33.5 per cent)

• Ten to fifteen minutes (15.5 per cent)

• Fifteen minutes or more (8 per cent)

Over an eight-year follow-up period, the researchers recorded cases of cardiovascular disease, hospitalisations, and deaths from any cause.

What the results revealed

People who accumulated most of their steps in continuous walks of 15 minutes or longer had substantially lower risks of both heart disease and death compared with those whose walking was broken into smaller increments.

Among those walking less than 5,000 steps a day — often categorised as sedentary — longer bouts of walking provided especially strong protective effects.

The study found that participants who typically walked in 15-minute or longer sessions were 80 per cent less likely to die from any cause and nearly 70 per cent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those whose steps came from walks of five minutes or less.

Risk levels declined progressively with walking duration. The rate of heart disease was roughly 13 per cent among participants who mainly walked for less than five minutes at a time.

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This fell to 11 per cent for those walking five to ten minutes, 7.7 per cent for ten- to fifteen-minute walkers, and just 4.4 per cent for those regularly walking for at least fifteen minutes without interruption.

These trends remained significant even after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, body mass index, cholesterol levels, and other lifestyle factors.

The researchers noted that while they could not definitively establish cause and effect, the correlation between longer walking sessions and improved heart health was consistent and strong.

Why walking duration may matter

The idea that longer, continuous exercise sessions might be more beneficial than frequent short bursts stems from how the cardiovascular system responds to sustained physical activity.

Extended walking allows the heart rate to remain elevated for longer, improving blood circulation, oxygen delivery, and metabolic efficiency.

In contrast, brief bouts of movement may not maintain those physiological benefits long enough to significantly impact heart function.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Borja del Pozo Cruz, an epidemiologist at the European University of Madrid, said that while any movement is beneficial, longer walking periods seem to yield greater results.

“We’re not saying shorter bouts don’t work,” he noted. “But it seems like it’s much better to accumulate steps in longer periods.”

Sustained activity can also help regulate blood pressure, improve cholesterol profiles, and enhance insulin sensitivity, all of which are linked to lower risks of heart disease and mortality.

Why how you walk is also as important as how much you walk

For decades, health advice about walking has often centred on total daily step counts — with 10,000 steps per day becoming a widely circulated goal.

However, that number originated not from scientific research but from a Japanese pedometer marketing campaign in the 1960s. Recent research, including the latest findings, has clarified that health benefits begin at lower step counts and depend heavily on how those steps are taken.

Co-lead researcher Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney highlighted this point.

“We tend to place all the emphasis on the number of steps or the total amount of walking but neglect the crucial role of patterns, for example ‘how’ walking is done. This study shows that even people who are very physically inactive can maximise their heart health benefit by tweaking their walking patterns to walk for longer at a time, ideally for at least 10-15 minutes, when possible.”

This suggests that people who cannot meet the 10,000-step benchmark should not be discouraged.

Instead, focusing on one or two longer, more deliberate walks each day could offer comparable — or even greater — cardiovascular benefits.

Brisk walking — at a pace that slightly elevates your heart rate but still allows you to talk — improves cardiovascular efficiency, strengthens the respiratory system, and can help regulate blood sugar levels.

Sustained bouts of walking also promote weight management by boosting metabolism and encouraging the body to burn fat for energy.

What limitations the study may have

Despite its strong findings, the study’s authors and independent experts caution that the results show correlation rather than causation.

It is possible that people who walked for longer periods were already healthier or more motivated, which could partly explain their better outcomes.

Prof Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, pointed out, “The study shows a link between walking and better heart health, but it doesn’t prove that walking directly causes the improvement.”

The researchers also acknowledged that factors such as neighbourhood walkability, access to parks, socioeconomic background, and pre-existing health conditions could have influenced walking habits and health outcomes.

Moreover, step data were collected over a one-week snapshot, which may not perfectly represent participants’ typical long-term routines.

Still, even when controlling for multiple variables such as age, smoking, obesity, and cholesterol, the benefits of longer walking sessions remained evident.

The pattern was particularly clear among individuals who were least active overall, reinforcing the idea that small adjustments to walking habits can meaningfully improve heart health.

Why making walking a daily habit is essential

For many people, incorporating a longer walk into their daily routine can be a realistic and sustainable step toward better health.

Simple strategies include taking a dedicated 15- to 20-minute stroll during lunch, walking part of the commute, or setting aside time for an evening walk.

Even modest changes — like getting off public transport one stop early or parking further from work — can help create the habit of longer, more continuous walking.

The researchers suggest that those who are sedentary should focus less on hitting a specific step target and more on extending the length of each walk. Over time, longer bouts of activity can help increase endurance, strengthen the heart, and lower blood pressure.

For safety, experts advise taking basic precautions during outdoor walks. When walking at night or in low-light conditions, wearing reflective clothing or carrying a flashlight or headlamp increases visibility.

Pedestrians should remain alert, use designated lanes or walking paths whenever possible, and cross only at marked points where drivers expect foot traffic.

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With inputs from agencies