The study conducted by Massachusetts researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that measuring exercise through both time spent exercising and steps taken can be equally beneficial. Over a period of nine years, the researchers analyzed data from over 14,000 healthy women aged 62 and older, discovering that higher levels of physical activity, whether in minutes or steps, were linked to significant reductions in mortality and cardiovascular risk.
The U.S. government currently recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week for adults but does not include step counts in their guidelines. Dr. Mallika Marshall, an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who serves as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV, suggests that physical activity guidelines should be updated to provide multiple ways to achieve activity goals based on personal preference. With the popularity of fitness trackers and smartwatches that track step counts, incorporating this data into activity guidelines could be beneficial.
Dr. Marshall has been practicing medicine for over 20 years and is a Board Certified physician in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She works at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital and is currently on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19 at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center. Additionally, Dr. Marshall is a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications.
