How many daily steps should you take to reduce your risk of chronic disease?

For a long time, taking 10,000 steps a day was a goal for many people. However, there is that figure has been debunked since: “10,000 steps is kind of an arbitrary number,” says Kathryn Hagan Vargo, a physical therapist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. As HuffPost previously said.

While the 10,000-step number may not be worth a second thought — and it can be a challenging daily step goal for most people — a new study shows that a more realistic number can improve certain health outcomes. The study was published Nature Journal It has been found that walking 8,200 steps per day is associated with a lower likelihood of developing certain conditions and chronic diseases.

A recent study used data from the National Institutes of Health The nationwide All of Us research program, which focuses on underrepresented communities and uses a variety of resources to determine outcomes, from electronic records, fitness trackers, and more. The study used the electronic health records of 6,042 people between the ages of 41 and 67 Fitbit fitness tracker. Participant data was studied over four years, and all participants had to agree to wear their Fitbit for at least 10 hours a day.

Specifically, taking 8,200 steps per day is associated with a lower risk of obesity, gastroesophageal reflux disease, sleep apnea, and major depressive disorder. The risk for these problems continues to decrease as people move through the steps. Taking 8,000 to 9,000 steps a day reduced the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure — but that risk was no longer reduced for those who took more than 9,000 steps a day.

It is worth noting a significant caveat: there The study lacked considerable diversity — 84% of participants were white, 73% were female, and 71% had a college degree. Additionally, participants had lower rates of treatment comorbidity than other populations. Thus, more research is needed to determine whether these findings hold true for other groups of people.

You can achieve your goal in many ways – you can take multiple short walks throughout the day, take a long trip Or even go for an indoor walk in a mall or shopping center.

It’s a good idea to vary your walk from time to time so you don’t get bored. If you find walking boring in general, you can try interval walking, which uses a fast-slow pace to get the results of a brisk walk and something to focus your mind on. You can try calling a friend, listening to an interesting podcast or making a playlist of your favorite songs while walking.

“Engagement is a huge factor in making sure people can commit to exercise,” he said. Dr. Tamanna SinghA clinical cardiologist and co-director of the Sports Cardiology Center at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, told HuffPost.

When it comes to exercise, “something is always better than nothing.” Dr. Aaron Baggish, professor of medicine at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, As HuffPost previously said.

Even if you can’t regularly get to 8,200 steps per day (and who can?), that’s okay. Just prefer to walk every day There are benefits — such as improved mood, increased energy and a Reduces joint pain.

Also, walking 21 minutes a day reduces your risk of heart disease by 30%According to Harvard Health Reports.

“Walking is the most common form of exercise in the United States,” he said Amanda BonikoskeAssistant Program Director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at the Mayo Clinic.

So, by increasing your step count or adding some variety, you’re on your way to better health.