If you're slowly walking into 2026, there's good news: Getting 5,000 to 8,000 steps a day (or less) can reduce your risk of heart disease and premature death. And you can get even more benefit by changing the way you do those steps.

Research published in Annals of Internal Medicine looked at data on more than 33,000 low-activity adults. Almost half of them only got physical activity in short bursts of motion — around 5 minutes at a time.

Only 8% regularly walked for at least 15 minutes at a time. But those people were 400% less likely to come to an untimely end or develop heart woes during the study's 9.5-year follow-up period.

What that means is that your first step toward better health and a longer, happier life is to string your walking efforts together into a stroll lasting 15 minutes or more.

The next step? Shake up that 15-minute walk by doing two minutes at a slow pace, then 30 seconds at a speed that increases your heart rate and makes it a little tough to have a conversation. Repeat that pattern five more times.

(If that’s too much, walk at a quick pace for less time and build up your endurance over the next weeks.)

You may not believe it today, but down the road in 2026 you could be enjoying 10,000 steps a day and gaining far-reaching, life-extending health benefits. You'll feel less stress, have sharper thinking, and lower your blood pressure, weight, and inflammation.