More good news for walkers - a study in The New England Journal of Medicine reports that a daily brisk walk is as 'heart healthy' for women as more strenuous forms of exercise.

For this analysis, more than 73,000 postmenopausal women - all participants in a multi-center US health study - provided researchers with information on their medical history and personal health habits. They reported how much exercise they typically did in a week, ranging from 'vigorous' activities like aerobics and tennis, to more mild exercises like bowling and golf. They were also asked to estimate how much - and how fast - they walked each week, as well as how many hours they spent lying down or sitting. The researchers kept track of the women for up to 6 years, looking for a connection between activity level and risk of heart disease.

All kinds of exercise helped

They found that women who either walked or exercised vigorously for at least 2½ hours a week were about 30% less likely than sedentary women to develop heart disease. More favorable results were seen in women who exercised more than 2½ hours a week, and in those who walked at an average speed of at least 2 to 3 mph (3.2-4.8 km/h) rather than at a slower pace.

Even more encouraging, the study findings were similar regardless of race, age, and body weight, meaning that all kinds of women - older and younger and slimmer and heavier - saw substantial benefits from regular exercise. On the other hand, those sedentary women who spent at least 16 hours per day sitting or 12 to 15 hours per day lying down were much more likely than active women to suffer from heart disease.

Advice to consumers

The results of this study fall in line with current US health guidelines, which recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. Walking is the exercise of choice for many women because it doesn't require skill or special equipment, it can be done almost anywhere, and a walking routine can be chopped into small increments to fit busy schedules.

Keep in mind, though, while walking at any pace burns calories and tones muscles, the brisk walkers in this study benefited more from their exertion than those who walked at a more leisurely pace.

Need some help to get started? Penn State Cooperative Extension offers some tips on how to begin a walking program. This page also includes a handy chart to estimate how fast you walk (see first link below).