Dr. Lee suggested looking at walking and running as being on a continuum. “The biggest benefit occurs when moving from none to a little” exercise, he said.

 

In 2011, researchers in Taiwan asked more than 400,000 adults how much vigorous exercise (like jogging or running) and moderate exercise (like brisk walking) they did. They found that regular five-minute runs extended subjects’ life spans as much as going for 15-minute walks did. Regular 25-minute runs and 105-minute walks each resulted in about a 35 percent lower risk of dying during the following eight years.

Those numbers make sense, given running’s effect on fitness. In a 2014 study, Dr. Lee and his colleagues found that regular runners — including those jogging slower than 6 miles per hour — were 30 percent fitter than walkers and sedentary people. They also had a 30 percent lower risk of dying over the next 15 years.

Even though he’s an enthusiastic proponent of running, Dr. Lee suggested looking at walking and running as being on a continuum. “The biggest benefit occurs when moving from none to a little” exercise, he said.

Whether you’re walking or running, consistency matters most. But after that, adding at least some vigorous exercise to your routine will increase the benefits.

2011年，台灣的研究人員詢問了超過40萬名成年人，他們進行了多少劇烈運動（如慢跑或跑步）和適度運動（如快走）。他們發現，定期跑步 5 分鐘可以延長受試者的壽命，其效果與步行 15 分鐘相同。在接下來的八年裡，預定進行 25 分鐘跑步和 105 分鐘步行，可將死亡風險降低約 35%。

考慮到跑步對健身的影響，這些數字是有道理的。在 2014 年的一項研究中，李博士和他的同事發現，經常跑步的人（包括慢跑速度低於每小時 6 英里的人）比步行者和久坐的人健康狀況要好 30%。他們在未來 15 年的死亡風險也降低了 30%。

儘管李博士是跑步的熱情支持者，但他還是建議將步行和跑步視為一個連續體。他說，「從不運動到進行少量運動會帶來最大的好處」。

無論您是步行還是跑步，一致性最重要。但在那之後，在日常生活中至少添加一些劇烈運動會增加好處。