No gym? No problem: 15 minutes of fast walking can transform your health

No gym? No worry: 15 minutes of fast walking can transform your health (Photo: iStock)

A lot has been said about physical activities as a health metric. The World Health Organisation (WHO) even gives standard recommendations on the amount of physical activity to aim for every week. The recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity isn't achievable for many people. Is there another way you could achieve sufficient health benefits, being well off the 150 minutes?

Turns out you could stay healthy by just incorporating 15 minutes of fast walking every day. Fast walking has always been known to be better than slow walking. New research has augmented this kind of inference. Nearly 85,000 participants were evaluated over many years. Those who walked fast for at least 15 minutes had better health outcomes. They had better cardiometabolic health, better weight control, fewer musculoskeletal symptoms, lower cognitive decline and overall lower rates of premature deaths. There were a host of other health benefits, including better sleep, improved immunity and lower rates of cancer.