NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Walking longer may help you live longer. A new study finds people who go beyond the recommended amount of activity are less likely to die early.
Phil Snowden, a former Missouri State Senator, isn’t running for anything these days, but he’s still walking for a healthier, longer life.
“I’ve done it for probably the last 50 years, and it’s just been a way of life,” said Snowden.
He goes well beyond the two-and-a-half hours a week recommended by the American Heart Association as the minimum for physical activity. So does Linda Cook, another walker at the North Kansas City Community Center.
“The more you do, the better it is, I guess,” said Cook.
The new study published in the journal PLOS ONE looked at 42,000 middle-aged walkers. Those who walked more than two-and-a-half hours a week were a third less likely to die over a 10-year period. That’s compared to those who also walked, but for less than two and a half hours a week.
Carlos Harrison, a certified trainer, says no wonder those who walked longer were less likely to die from common causes such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes.
“You’re constantly working the heart, getting the blood flowing,” said Harrison.
Still, he doesn’t want to discourage those who get in less walking.
“Whether it’s five minutes, 10, 30 minutes,” he said, adding you should just add on over time. And make the time. Snowden does his walking in the morning.
“You make it your number one priority, and then the rest of the day is downhill,” he said.