Dr Valter Longo heads up the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, pioneering research on the challenges of ageing
We are often told hitting the ‘10,000 steps’ mark daily is key to good health. Yet, a leading longevity expert has signalled that maintaining fitness can be simpler than this.
Dr Valter Longo heads up the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, pioneering research on the challenges of ageing. Although most adults live to around 80 in the UK, he believes you can ‘stay young’ for longer by following specific lifestyle rules.
Whether we like it or not, exercise is crucial to this. In a 2019 interview, Dr Longo reportedly told nutrition journalist Andrew Merle that 10,000 steps or 20 flights of stairs is a good daily target, but his blog shares that walking for 60 minutes may be sufficient.
“Walk fast for an hour every day,” Dr Longo wrote online. “On the weekend, walk everywhere, even faraway places (avoid polluted areas as much as possible).”
Current NHS guidance echoes this sentiment, asserting that you ‘do not have to walk for hours’ to reap the benefits from low-intensity exercise. Just a ‘brisk’ (3mph) walk for 10 minutes every day can burn calories and build up stamina while potentially bolstering heart health.
If you are unsure how fast you are walking, you can download the NHS-recommended Active 10 app for free on your smartphone. The app provides suggestions on boosting your speed.
Ageing specialist Professor Claire Steves at King’s College London also told the ZOE Podcast that just under an hour of walking three times a week could enhance brain health, too. At the time, she said: “So, to improve your cognitive health, you need to do more exercise than you’re doing now – up to a point – unless you’re an Olympic athlete.
“That’s the key thing. If we look at really big population studies, we can see effects, even with minimal levels of exercise, and it’s fairly linear…So, whatever you’re doing, if you go up by a third, you’ll be improving yourself.”
However, it is essential to note that Dr Longo’s exercise advice goes beyond just walking. In the same blog, he said that ‘moderate exercise for two-and-a-half to five hours a week’ with some in the ‘vigorous range’ is beneficial for longevity too.
Once again, these thoughts are echoed in recent research from the University of Bristol, which showed that consistent aerobic exercise may be key to reducing specific Alzheimer’s markers. Aerobic exercise encompasses any activity that boosts heart rate and uses more oxygen in the body.
Swimming, running, jogging, and even walking are all included in this. While the study used mice as its subjects, the team is optimistic that similar patterns will be observed in humans and is planning wider clinical trials to verify this.
Professor Longo also wrote: “Most of the beneficial effects appear to be caused by the first [two-and-a-half] hours of exercise, making the additional exercise optional.”