Does a crowded neighborhood make you move more?
Yes, says new research that found people who live in highly populated areas walk more than people who live in less densely populated areas.
Can you literally step away from depression?
A new global review of data found that "increasing the number of daily steps, even at modest levels, was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms."
The Spanish study found that up to a level of about 10,000 ste...
It doesn't take much: Adding just five minutes of exercise to your daily routine lowers your blood pressure and might cut your odds for heart disease, new research shows.
“The good news is that whatever your physical ability, it doesn’t take long to have a po...
Bicycling to work can vastly improve your health and reduce your risk of death, a new study shows.
People who bike commute have a 47% lower overall risk of an early death, researchers found.
If you've recovered from lower back pain, try walking away from a recurrence.
New research out of Australia shows that folks who started a walking regimen kept recurrent back pain episodes at bay for much longer than people who didn't.
"We don't know exactly why wa...
Walking is one of the best exercises available to average folks, and it can be as easy as stepping out your front door, experts say.
"It is something you can easily fit into your lifestyle,"said Dr. James ...
The more steps a person can fit into their day, the lower their risk of early death and heart disease, regardless of how much a couch potato they are otherwise, a new study shows.
People who are sedentary for more than 11 hours a day gain the same health benefits from wa...
Looking for a workout that will chase the blues away?
Try walking, jogging, yoga or strength training, which a new study reports are the most effective exercises for easing depression. These activities can be used on their own or combined with medication and psychotherap...
People can walk away their risk of developing type 2 diabetes -- but only if they walk fast enough, a new report finds.
Folks who walk at least 2.5 miles an hour appear to have a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published Nov. 28 in the <...
Want to do something to protect your thinking skills as you age? Swing that golf club or go for a walk.
A new study found that walking about 3.7 miles or playing 18 holes of golf improved cognitive function. Nordic walking, a type of full-body walking using poles, showed...
Healthy steps: Living in a neighborhood that's easy to walk in could be good for women's health.
New research finds that women who live in walkable neighborhoods have lower rates of obesity-related cancers.
This was particularly true of postmenopausal breast cancer...
Adding 3,000 extra steps a day can help older adults with hypertension significantly lower their blood pressure.
About 80% of older adults in the United States have high blood pressure. Keeping it down can help protect against heart failure, heart attacks and strokes.
Walkable neighborhoods -- with sidewalks, parks and paths -- encourage pregnant women to get more exercise, which leads to good outcomes for both mom and baby.
New research ...
If you're one of the millions of folks bent on racking up at least 10,000 steps a day, read on.
A new study finds that heart health starts to improve with as few as 2,300 steps a day. The research also indicates your risk of dying from any disease starts to decrease...
It seems obvious that texting and walking can be a dangerous duo, but now a new Australian study offers solid evidence of the dangers.
Emergency room doctors Dr. Michael Levine and
Wearable devices like smartwatches continually track physical activity, urging folks to take more daily steps for their health.
Now, a new study suggests this gentle technological nagging could be of great benefit to people whose hearts are giving out.
Heart failur...
More than 7,500 people were killed last year after being struck by vehicles while walking along or across U.S. roadways -- the most pedestrian deaths in more than four decades, according to a new report.
This sobering trend was not surprising to experts who track the num...
Walking your dog gets you moving and out in the fresh air, but head injuries and fractures are very real possibilities, especially for older dog owners, researchers say.
The most common injury from walking a leashed dog that sends folks to the ER is fractured fingers, a ...
For those who want to get active but feel that joining a gym or exercising on a daily basis is a bridge too far, new research may have found the sweet spot: walking.
After stacking the walking habits of 3,100 adults up against a decade's worth of health outcomes, in...
A new study hones in on what part of your brain controls walking.
Researchers discovered that two main regions of the cortex were activated as people moved in various ways through an environment. But the occipital place area (OPA) didn't activate during crawling, while t...
Problems walking and talking or thinking at the same time might be a warning sign of impending dementia, a new study suggests.
Being unable to juggle two tasks simultaneously has been recognized as a sign of mental (or "cognitive") decline after age 65, but this research...
If you feel like the pandemic made you a permanent couch potato, a new study shows you're not alone: Well after lockdown measures were relaxed, many Americans were still taking fewer steps each day.
Researchers found that, on the whole, Americans' daily step count plumme...
New moms who live on tree-lined streets may be somewhat less vulnerable to postpartum depression, according to a new study -- the latest to link "green space" to better mental health.
While the idea of getting 10,000 steps a day is bandied about as a good walking goal, that can be intimidating to some people, depending on how fit they are.
Now, new research in adults between the ages of 70 and 90 finds that a much smaller number of steps can ma...
A brisk 11-minute daily walk can help you live longer, a new University of Cambridge study reports.
Researchers found that 75 minutes a week -- 11 minutes daily -- of moderate-intensity physical activity is enough to lower a person's risk of heart disease, stroke and can...
If you're over 40, regular exercise may not only keep you fit -- it might keep you out of the hospital, too, a large new study suggests.
Researchers found that among nearly 82,000 British adults, those who regularly exercised were less likely to be hospitalized for vario...
Want to stay healthy well into your golden years? Grab a bag of clubs and hit the green, new research suggests.
Golfing beat walking or even Nordic walking (a full-body workout that consists of walking using specialized poles) when it came to improving several key measur...
It's clear that staying active is key to being healthy, and fitness trackers and smartwatches have become popular tools for tracking activity.
But just how many steps does someone need to take to lose weight?
That's not such a simple a question.
While evide...
Starting a walking routine is simple because it requires so little: comfortable, supportive walking shoes and your own two feet.
Unlike gym workouts, the initial expense is small and the schedule is flexible.
"Walking's a great way to work out because we ca...
A lot of people wear watches that count their every step as they try to move more.
Now, a new study finds that getting more of those steps each day, along with moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise, could cut the risk of dementia and thinking impairments for women.
...Move your body every day to guard against type 2 diabetes.
That's the upshot of a new study that analyzed Fitbit data and type 2 diabetes rates from participants in a nationwide research program, reporting that women who logged more steps each day had a lower risk of dia...
Taking a quick walk or doing squats after you eat may help you retain muscle mass as you age, new research suggests.
So-called "activity snacks"-- short bouts of exercise -- may help maintain muscle mass and quality by allowing your body to use more
Taking that often-cited 10,000 steps a day -- or even slightly fewer -- may indeed be enough to improve your health, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among 6,000 middle-aged and older adults, those who got at least 8,000 to 9,000 steps daily had reduced risks...
Wearing a fitness tracker may help you get more steps in -- even if you never give it a glance.
A new study found that folks who wore a pedometer averaged 318...
There's an easy way to reduce your risk for dementia, heart disease and cancer: Start walking.
Getting in those recommended 10,000 steps a day makes a real difference, new...
Kids who walk, skateboard or ride their bikes to school when they are young are more likely to keep it up as they get older, reaping the health benefits, recent research suggests.
"The walk to school is a wonderful moment in the day that provides children a glimpse of li...
The COVID-19 pandemic stopped people in their tracks, reducing their physical activity. And daily "step counts" still haven't reached previous numbers, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco examined worldwide trends in ph...
Writer Jenny Block and her chiweenie, Aurora, are on a health kick.
"We walk at least 1 mile and up to 4 miles in the early morning, before it gets too hot," said the Hou...
It's never too late to benefit from regular walks.
A new study suggests that a 10-minute daily stroll can prolong life in folks well into their 80s and beyond.
"Adults are less likely to meet activity recommendations as they get older,"said study author Dr. Moo-Nyu...
That phrase "no pain, no gain" might truly apply to people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), a new study finds.
Researchers found that people with PAD who walked at pace that caused discomfort or even pain improved their walking ability.
"Exercise that induces ...
While chronic stress is a key risk factor for heart disease and stroke, most cat and dog owners say pets help them chill out and stay active.
A new American Heart Association (AHA) survey of 1,000 pet owners found 95% relying on their animal companions for stress relief....
When the world gets you down, go for a walk and make your heart happy.
Physical activity is one of the best ways to manage stress and boost ...
America's roads are getting ever more dangerous for pedestrians, a new study finds.
During the first six months of 2021, there was a 17% increase in pedestrian deaths in t...
Want to preserve all those precious memories, including your first kiss and how you felt the first time you got behind the wheel of a car?
If you do, start moving: New research shows that when sedentary older adults started to exercise, they showed improvements in episod...
Four in 10 Americans say they've had at least one heart-related issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, and about one in four who have tested positive say COVID has affected their heart health, according to a new online poll.
Shortness of breath (18%), dizziness (15%), highe...
Tempted to take your workout into the great outdoors?
Be aware that there are both benefits and risks to exercising outdoors during the winter.
Americans, get up out of that chair and get moving.
If everyone between 40 and 85 years of age were active just 10 minutes more a day, it could save more than 110,000 U.S. lives a year, a
When older people cut back on physical activity, their risk of type 2 diabetes rises. But walking regularly can help, a new study suggests.
The more steps you take -- and the more intensely you walk -- the lower your odds for
A few hours of exercise a week may help slow Parkinson's disease, even if it's just moderate activity such as walking or gardening, a new study suggests.
The key is to be consistent, the researchers found.
"Although medications can provide people with Parkinson's s...
Contrary to long-held wisdom, teen athletes recover from concussions sooner if they do light aerobic exercise rather than resting in a dark room, new research suggests.
Instead of so-called "cocoon therapy," new research-supported therapy has young concussion patients ge...