With the cold, winter weather currently underway, it’s likely you’re walking less outside- though if you are, you need to dress warmly and tread carefully. Winter weather doesn’t necessarily give you a reprieve from keeping up your fitness and making sure you get in a certain number of steps each day. As we’ve previously posted, the need for 10,000 steps per day is largely a myth– but what’s not a myth is the need to keep moving and keep active for better physical and cognitive health. In fact, a recent study published in The Journal of Alzheimer’s & Dementia underscored the importance of getting in those extra daily steps whenever possible. According to this study out of the University of San Diego, women over age 65 who are able to add another 31 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day (for example, a brisk walk) can lower their risk for cognitive decline by 21%. And for those who can add an additional 1865 steps to their day? Their risk of cognitive decline drops even further- by 33%. To find out more, grab your pedometer and click here.

Another new study published in the journal Circulation supports stepping up your steps. In this study, researchers examined the relationship between steps per day and cardiovascular disease. What they found was that walking 6,000 – 9,000 steps each day is linked to a dramatically lower risk of cardiovascular disease among older adults. In comparison to those who walk only 2000 steps/day, those in the 6,000 – 9,000 category had a 40-50% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including strokes and heart attacks. But take heart: Even if you only currently walk 2000-3000 steps per day, this study also found that by adding just another 1000 steps each day, you would still experience a significant reduction in your risk of cardiovascular disease. For reference sake, ½ a mile is about 1000 steps. Bottom line of this study? The more steps you can get in each day, the lower will be your risk of serious heart problems. Find out more by reading here.

If you’re unable to add on more outdoor steps right now, what are your alternatives? As this Washington Post headline recently made clear, it’s the “free fitness equipment hidden in plain sight.” What is it? Whatever set of stairs you encounter each day. Stair climbing can not only quickly add to your step count but can be a wonderful workout shoring up your leg muscles, helping with cognitive performance, providing you with a good cardiovascular challenge and even giving you a good body weight resistance routine. In fact, according to a recent post on LIVESTRONG, stair climbing not only enhances leg and core strength but can also work to improve balance and stability. Experts believe that the cardiovascular fitness benefits of stair climbing are comparable to a 1-mile walk. So accessing an available staircase should easily allow you to add those 1000 extra steps per day recommended by the study in Circulation.

Then, once the weather gets more inviting, you can switch things up and begin taking extra steps outside again. You may even be inspired to ramp up your step count by taking a “walking vacation.” According to travel industry experts, since the beginning of the pandemic, the demand for walking holidays is up by almost ⅓. To get your planning going, and your steps growing, take a look at this recommended worldwide list of the Best Walking Holiday tours for 2023.