Walk this way to protect your future health 

Increase your step count in the lead up to winter by making movement social and by incorporating steps into your working day.

Older women who walked around 4,000 steps a day once or twice a week reduced their risk of early death by 26% and their risk of heart disease by 27%.

NEW research has found that older women who walked around 4,000 steps a day just once or twice a week reduced their risk of early death by 26% and their risk of heart disease by 27%, compared to those who were fairly sedentary.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, tracked the steps of 13,547 women — who were free from heart disease and cancer and typically aged 72 at the start — for nearly 11 years. The researchers concluded that the number of steps, rather than the number of days participants walk, is important for slashing death rates and the risk of heart disease.