Hate Running? Then You’re Going To Love This Compelling Case For Trading Jogging In For Walking

September 4, 2015/
 

James O’Keefe, 58, is a cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City. A self-proclaimed “exercise enthusiast,” O’Keefe says there was a time—decades, in fact—when he would routinely spend 2 to 3 hours a day running and working out vigorously. “I rarely took a day off,” he recalls. 

But if you see O’Keefe exercising today, you’ll likely spot the MD on a post-dinner stroll with his family. He also enjoys practicing yoga, or doing some gentle backstrokes in the pool. (Try adding just 10 minutes of strength training a day with the Fit In 10 DVD and see results fast.)

What changed? O’Keefe started investigating the effects of intense physical activity on the human heart and body. The fruits of his and others’ research inspired him to dial down his own routine.

“If your goal is exercising for overall health and to improve your longevity, then walking is ideal,” he says.  

Running Is Hard On Your Heart 

running hard on heartPHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES

In one of his studies, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, O’Keefe and his colleagues found people who run most days of the week at a pace faster than seven miles-per-hour have the same risk of death as sedentary individuals. Another study, presented at the EuroPRevent2012 meeting in Dublin, found those who run more than 25 miles per week have no mortality benefit compared with non-runners. 

 

Both studies suggest moving at a gentler pace—such as a brisk walk or a slow jog—for 1 to 2.5 hours every week lowers your risk of death by 25%. 

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