How much you should walk every week to dodge heart failure

By Sam Downing|

How often, how long, and how hard

"But a walk isn't a real workout." That line is trotted out all the time, but it's not true: new research proves walking is tremendous for heart health.

Going out for a 40-minute stroll at least twice a week, at an average to fast pace, may cut a postmenopausal woman's risk of heart failure by 25 percent — regardless of her body weight or what other exercise she does.

RELATED: How to get the most out of walking: do it with a group

That's according to a study to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's scientific session.

“Our analysis shows walking is not only an accessible form of exercise but almost equal to all different types of exercise that have been studied before in terms of lowering heart failure risk," said cardiologist Dr Somwail Rasla, the author of the research, in a statement.

"Essentially, we can reach a comparable energetic expenditure through walking that we gain from other types of physical activity.”

The study uncovered the link between a reduced heart failure risk and walking by examining health data drawn from nearly 90,000 US women aged between 50 and 79 over a 10-year period.

The data examined the women's walking frequency, duration and speed to determine that 40-minute, twice-a-week, brisk-paced sweet spot.

Walking is consistently hailed as the perfect exercise: not only does it convey physical and mental health benefits, it's also accessible, can be done anywhere, and (maybe most importantly) free.

RELATED: Walk 15 minutes a day and your health (and the rest of Australia) will thank you
