Brisk Walking May Cut Death Risk, New Study Finds

Brisk walking may offer an important health advantage for adults who do not accumulate large numbers of steps each day, according to a new study examining the relationship between walking pace, daily activity and mortality.

Researchers analyzed activity data from approximately 70,000 adults between the ages of 40 and 69. They found that people who took relatively few steps each day but moved at a faster pace during their most active periods had a lower risk of death than similarly sedentary people who walked more slowly.

The findings add another dimension to the ongoing discussion about how much walking people actually need for better health.

For years, the familiar 10,000-step target has dominated conversations about walking. But growing research suggests that there is no single magic number that everyone must reach. Instead, total steps, walking intensity and a person’s overall health may all play a role.

The new research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, provides evidence that increasing walking intensity could be particularly useful for people who find it difficult to substantially increase their daily step count.

Brisk Walking Could Help People With Lower Step Counts

The researchers divided participants into groups according to their average daily step counts.

The categories included people taking fewer than 5,000 steps per day, those taking between 5,000 and 7,000 steps, people recording between 7,500 and 10,000 steps, and those taking more than 10,000 steps daily.

The researchers also examined participants’ peak 30-minute cadence. This measurement represents the average number of steps a person took per minute during their most active 30-minute period of the day.

That distinction was important.

A person may accumulate several thousand steps simply by moving around the house, shopping, working or completing routine tasks. Another person may take a similar number of steps but complete a portion of them at a noticeably faster pace.

The study suggests that those differences in intensity may be meaningful.

Among participants taking fewer than 5,000 steps a day, people whose peak 30-minute cadence reached roughly 80 steps per minute had a lower risk of death than people with a slower peak cadence. Their risk was comparable to that observed among some people taking between 5,000 and 7,500 steps a day while walking at a slower pace.

That does not mean walking faster completely replaces walking more.

Instead, the findings suggest that adding some intensity may be a practical strategy for people who have difficulty increasing their total daily activity.

More Daily Steps Still Matter

One of the most important findings is that the study did not overturn the importance of total daily movement.

People taking between 7,500 and 10,000 steps per day had the lowest risk of death regardless of how quickly those steps were accumulated, according to the researchers.

That finding reinforces a broader pattern seen across walking research: moving more is generally associated with better health outcomes.

A 2025 systematic review published in The Lancet Public Health, for example, found that around 7,000 daily steps were associated with substantially lower risks of several adverse health outcomes compared with very low activity levels. The evidence suggests that meaningful benefits can occur well before someone reaches the traditional 10,000-step target.

Therefore, people should not interpret the latest findings as a reason to stop worrying about their overall step count.

Instead, the message may be simpler: walk more when you can, and increase your pace when practical.

What Counts as Brisk Walking?

There is no single walking speed that defines “brisk” for every person.

Age, fitness, leg length and health status can all influence how quickly someone walks. A pace that feels easy for one person may be challenging for another.

Researchers often use cadence, or steps per minute, as a practical way to estimate walking intensity.

Earlier research has commonly used about 100 steps per minute as a rough marker of moderate-intensity walking for many adults. A systematic review found that a cadence around this level can be a useful practical indicator of moderate-intensity activity, although individual differences mean it is not a universal threshold.

The new study is somewhat different because it examined peak 30-minute cadence and combinations of step counts and intensity rather than simply asking whether everyone reached 100 steps per minute.

That distinction matters.

A person does not necessarily need to maintain a very fast pace throughout the entire day to benefit from physical activity.

Even incorporating periods of faster walking into an otherwise normal routine may be a reasonable way to increase exercise intensity.

Why Walking Pace Could Matter

Walking faster requires the body to work harder.

The heart pumps more blood, breathing generally becomes faster and the muscles must generate more force to move the body forward at a higher speed.

Over time, regular moderate-intensity physical activity can improve cardiovascular fitness and support metabolic health.

Brisk walking is also relatively accessible compared with many forms of exercise. It does not require expensive equipment, specialized facilities or advanced athletic ability.

For many adults, that makes walking one of the simplest ways to increase physical activity.

The latest study is particularly interesting because it focuses on people who may not have the time, mobility or opportunity to accumulate large numbers of steps throughout the day.

Someone who struggles to reach 7,000 or 8,000 steps may still be able to introduce a short period of faster walking.

That could be as simple as walking more quickly during part of a commute, taking a faster route through a shopping area or deliberately increasing the pace during a daily walk.

The 10,000-Step Goal Is Not a Magic Number

The popularity of 10,000 steps has created the impression that health benefits begin only after reaching that figure.

Scientific evidence does not support such a rigid cutoff.

Research has repeatedly found benefits at lower activity levels. In some studies, mortality risk continues to decline as people increase their activity from very low levels, with the largest gains occurring before reaching 10,000 steps.

A pooled analysis of multiple cohorts found that the relationship between steps and mortality differed by age. Among adults aged 60 and older, the decline in mortality risk tended to level off at roughly 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day, while younger adults generally continued to see associations with lower mortality at higher step counts.

This does not mean everyone should stop at a particular number.

Rather, it suggests that people should focus on realistic improvements rather than treating 10,000 steps as a pass-or-fail test.

For someone currently taking 2,000 steps a day, reaching 3,000 or 4,000 could represent a meaningful improvement.

For someone already walking 8,000 steps daily, adding a few faster intervals may be a more practical goal than trying to reach 12,000 or 15,000 steps.

What the New Study Can — and Cannot — Prove

The findings are encouraging, but they should be interpreted carefully.

The research is observational. That means researchers can identify associations between walking behavior and mortality, but they cannot prove that walking faster directly caused people to live longer.

People who walk more quickly may differ from people who walk slowly in other important ways.

They may be healthier, younger, more physically fit or less affected by chronic diseases. Researchers can adjust for many potential differences, but statistical adjustments cannot eliminate every possible source of confounding.

The ABC News report also noted that participants only needed to provide a limited number of days of activity data to qualify for the study.

That means the recorded activity may not perfectly represent a person’s usual behavior throughout the year.

There is also an important issue known as reverse causation.

People with serious or developing health problems may naturally walk less and more slowly because they are already becoming unwell. In such cases, lower activity could partly be a consequence of poor health rather than the original cause of increased mortality risk.

These limitations are common in large observational studies of physical activity.

How to Add More Brisk Walking to Your Day

For people who are currently inactive, there is no need to suddenly begin walking at a very fast pace for long periods.

A gradual approach is generally more practical.

Start by adding a few minutes of faster walking to an existing routine. Once that becomes comfortable, gradually increase the duration.

For example, someone who normally takes a 20-minute walk could spend several minutes walking faster in the middle of the session.

Another approach is to use everyday opportunities.

Walk a little faster when going to a store. Take the stairs when appropriate. Park farther away from a destination. Walk during a lunch break. Choose a route that allows a continuous period of movement.

The goal is not to turn every walk into a workout.

Instead, the objective is to make regular movement part of daily life.

A Simple Walking Strategy

A practical approach based on the broader evidence could include three goals.

First, increase your total movement.

If you are currently sedentary, adding even a modest number of daily steps can be a useful starting point.

Second, add periods of faster walking.

Once regular walking feels comfortable, introduce short periods at a pace that raises your breathing and heart rate.

Third, build consistency.

A moderate walking routine performed regularly is likely to be more sustainable than an ambitious plan that lasts only a few days.

People should also recognize that fitness goals need to be individualized.

Someone with joint problems, balance difficulties, cardiovascular disease or another medical condition may need a different exercise plan. Anyone with concerns about starting or intensifying exercise should discuss an appropriate level of activity with a qualified health professional.

Walking May Be One of the Simplest Health Habits

The growing body of evidence surrounding walking sends a relatively encouraging message: people do not necessarily need complicated exercise programs to become more active.

Walking is accessible to many adults, can be incorporated into daily routines and can be adjusted to different fitness levels.

The latest research adds another useful idea: pace may matter, particularly for people whose daily step counts remain relatively low.

At the same time, the researchers found that the lowest mortality risk was associated with people accumulating higher numbers of daily steps, particularly those in the 7,500-to-10,000 range.

So the best takeaway is not to choose between walking farther and walking faster.

When possible, do both.

If increasing the total number of steps is difficult, adding a period of brisk walking may be a practical alternative. If more walking is already part of your lifestyle, maintaining that activity remains important.

Ultimately, the latest findings reinforce a broader principle of preventive health: regular movement matters, and small changes can be easier to sustain than dramatic ones.

The next time you go for a walk, you may not need to obsess over hitting exactly 10,000 steps.

Instead, consider whether you can walk a little farther, move a little faster or simply spend more time on your feet.

Those small decisions, repeated consistently, could contribute to better long-term health.