You do not need a fitness tracker. You do not need a gym membership. You do not even need special shoes. According to cardiologists, one of the best things you can do for your heart is also one of the simplest: take a walk.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. But research shows that regular walking can meaningfully lower your risk and you may not need nearly as much time as you think.
What Walking Does for Your Heart
Dr. David Sabgir, MD, a cardiologist with OhioHealth and the founder of Walk With A Doc, says walking works on your heart from several directions at once.
It helps lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol, control blood sugar, and manage weight. It also slows plaque buildup in the arteries, reduces inflammation, and improves blood vessel function, helping arteries relax and expand so blood flows more easily.
Walking even makes your blood less “sticky,” which lowers the risk of dangerous clots. “Walking also tunes up your nervous system, lowering your resting heart rate and helping your heart respond more efficiently to stress,” Dr. Sabgir says.
Dr. Sawalla Guseh, MD, director of the cardiovascular performance program at the Massachusetts General Brigham Heart & Vascular Institute, points out that walking helps in less obvious ways too. It lowers stress and supports better sleep, both of which are connected to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Walking can also be social, and that matters,” Dr. Guseh says. “Social connection has long been linked to better health and longevity, so a walk with a spouse, friend, neighbor or group may help the heart in more than one way.”
How Long Should Your Walk Be?
Here is some genuinely good news. A 2025 study from the University of Sydney found that uninterrupted walking for just 10 to 15 minutes significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers found it reduces that risk by up to two-thirds compared to walks shorter than 10 minutes.
Dr. Sabgir also points to a large study published in JAMA Internal Medicine that found walking 10 to 15 minutes a day, roughly 2,800 steps, is enough to start lowering heart disease risk. “Every extra 1,000 steps, about 10 more minutes, pushes that risk down even further,” he says.
So while 10 to 15 minutes a day makes a real difference, longer walks deliver even more benefit.
Dr. Guseh recommends starting with a daily 15-minute walk as your first goal. From there, build gradually toward 150 minutes a week, roughly 21 minutes a day, which is what the American Heart Association recommends for adults.
Is Running Better Than Walking?
Both doctors are clear on this: walking and running are both excellent for your heart. You do not need to run.
Dr. Sabgir points to a major study of nearly 48,000 runners and walkers that found no significant difference between the two activities in reducing the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease as long as the total energy spent was equivalent.
Running is more time-efficient, Dr. Sabgir notes. A five to ten-minute run can deliver benefits comparable to a 15- to 20-minute walk. But that does not make running the better choice for everyone.
“The best exercise is the one someone can do consistently and safely,” Dr. Guseh says. “For many people, that’s walking.”
Other activities such as cycling, swimming, dancing, hiking, and strength training, are also beneficial. But if walking is what fits your life right now, that is more than enough to make a difference.
The Bottom Line
Both cardiologists agree: the goal is simply to move more and sit less. Start with 15 minutes a day. Build from there. Walk with a friend if you can.
As Dr. Guseh puts it: “Walk more, sit less, make it purposeful when you can and build gradually.” That is advice any of us can follow, starting today.