Two simple tweaks to turbocharge the health benefits of daily walking

Two easy changes can boost walking benefits: (1) add brief vigorous bursts into daily activity—five to ten one-minute efforts, such as stairs, hills, or brisk trips—to cut cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality risk by about 30–50%; and (2) for those averaging 8,000 steps or fewer, replace short bouts with one or two steady 10–15 minute walks each day to roughly halve or, in some cases, reduce cardiovascular risk by two‑thirds compared with the same steps taken in shorter bursts.