A walk a day can keep back pain away … If you’ve ever dealt with nagging lower back pain, here’s some good news: Taking a long walk every day might help keep it at bay. A major study out of Norway followed over 11,000 adults for four years and found that walking about 100 minutes a day was linked to a 23% lower risk of developing chronic low back pain.
What’s interesting is that how long you walk matters more than how fast. The researchers used motion-sensing devices to track people’s actual movement (not just self-reports), and they found that benefits leveled off after about 100 minutes of walking daily. So, you don’t need to power-walk – just consistent movement seems to help. The study also showed that walking could be broken up throughout the day – think short walks to the store, a lunchtime stroll, and an evening walk around the neighborhood.