Health
For women over 60, here is the number of daily steps needed to protect heart health
We’ve all heard the widespread recommendation of hitting 10,000 steps per day for optimal health, but some groups — such as women over age 60 — may not need that many.
That’s according to a new study published in JAMA Cardiology, which found that women between the ages of 63 and 99 only needed an average of 3,600 steps per day to reduce their heart failure risk by 26%.
“[This was] after accounting for differences in age, race and ethnicity, and clinical factors known to increase one’s risk of heart failure,” said lead author Michael J. LaMonte, PhD, research professor of epidemiology and environmental health in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions, in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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“That is far fewer than the often targeted 10,000 steps per day,” he noted.
Researchers from University at Buffalo in New York observed 6,000 U.S. women between ages 63 and 99, gathering data about their physical activity, sedentary time and heart health.
Women between the ages of 63 and 99 only needed an average of 3,600 steps per day to reduce their heart failure risk by 26%. (iStock)
During a period of 7½ years, there were 407 cases of heart failure in the group.
The risk was found to be 12% to 17% lower for every 70 minutes of light activity (housework, self-care and other daily tasks) and 30 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity (climbing stairs, doing yard work, walking or jogging).
Heart disease risk was found to be 12% to 17% lower for every 70 minutes of light activity, such as housework, self-care and other daily tasks. (iStock)
For every 90 minutes of sedentary time, the heart failure risk increased by 17%, the researchers found.
To measure their physical activity, the participants wore a tracking device on their hips for a week.
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“Even the lighter-intensity activities of daily living and walking seem to be associated with a lower risk of heart failure in older women,” said LaMonte.
“So, our data suggest that physical activity amounts and intensity below what’s currently recommended in public health guidelines could be beneficial for heart failure prevention in later life.”
To measure their physical activity, the participants in a new study wore a tracking device on their hips for a week. (iStock)
The study evaluated risk for two different types of heart failure, including heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
With this condition, also known as diastolic heart failure, the heart muscle contracts as it should, but the left ventricle remains stiff and prevents the heart from filling properly with blood, according to the American Heart Association’s website.
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“HFpEF is the most common form of heart failure seen in older women and among racial and ethnic minority groups, and at present there are few established treatment options — which makes primary prevention all the more relevant,” LaMonte told Fox News Digital.
“This type of heart failure is increasingly common in women, older adults and racial-ethnic minority groups,” Lamonte told Fox News Digital.
The study evaluated risk for two different types of heart failure, including heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), the most common form of heart failure seen in older women. (iStock)
“Unfortunately, there presently are no established therapies to treat this heart failure subtype, making its prevention that much more important. The relevance only increases with population aging, as women are expected to outnumber men in the 80+ group over the coming decades.”
LaMonte added, “The potential for light intensity activities of daily life to contribute to the prevention of HFpEF in older women is an exciting and promising result for future studies to evaluate in other groups, including older men.”
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The risk of heart failure, including HFpEF, became “significantly lower” at around 2,500 steps per day, according to the release.
The risk dropped by 25% to 30% at the 3,600-step mark.
Potential limitations
There were some limitations of the study, the lead researcher noted.
“The observational study design requires caution against interpreting causation on the basis of associational results,” LaMonte told Fox News Digital.
“We only had a single accelerometer measure, and activity habits could change during follow-up, so repeat measures would be preferable.”
“Even lighter-intensity activities of daily living and walking seem to be associated with a lower risk of heart failure in older women.”
The researchers also did not have newer biomarkers of cardiac injury and volume overload, he said, which would have resulted in richer analysis of activity that may lower heart failure risk.
“Our cohort is older, postmenopausal women, so other studies need to confirm these results in men and younger individuals,” LaMonte said.
Importance of exercise for older women
Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals, was not involved in the study but noted the importance of physical activity for heart health.
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“Regular exercise can help improve cardiovascular fitness by improving peripheral circulation, improving vascular tone, and controlling comorbidities such as high blood pressure, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia,” he told Fox News Digital.
Senior women should aim for a mixture of aerobic and weight-lifting exercises on a regular basis, a doctor said. (iStock)
“It is important to stay active both mentally and physically, especially over the age of 50.”
Ideally, senior women should aim for a mixture of aerobic and weight-lifting exercises on a regular basis, Serwer said.
For those who are over 50, he warned that high-impact exercises, such as running, may lead to overuse injuries.
“Low-impact activities such as cycling, walking, swimming or yoga can be highly beneficial,” he recommended.
“A simple message for older adults is, ‘Sit less and move more.’”
For those who haven’t exercised in a while, Serwer said it’s important to see a doctor to make sure they are healthy enough to start a fitness program.
“Once it’s determined you are healthy enough for exercise, I recommend starting slow and gradually building up,” he said. “Sometimes it is helpful to hire a personal trainer or join a gym with an exercise physiologist.”
For those who haven’t exercised in a while, a cardiologist said it’s important to see a doctor to make sure they are healthy enough to start a fitness program. (iStock)
LaMonte added, “A simple message for older adults is, ‘Sit less and move more.’”
Moving around the home, caregiving and walking are beneficial sources of movement for cardiovascular health in later life, he noted.
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“For those capable and interested in doing moderate-intensity activities, greater benefit is likely gained — but movement doesn’t have to be fancy or planned,” he said.
“Just try to be active in daily life and try to interrupt prolonged sitting with a little walking.”
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The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.
A growing social media trend, dubbed “nonnamaxxing,” draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.
The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.
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“Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.
“We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
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Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.
Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.
One longevity expert stresses that staying healthy isn’t just about food — it’s also about joy and community. (iStock)
There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.
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“Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real,’” she said.
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Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional “nonna” lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.
The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.
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That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.
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Singer added, “Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human.”
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Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
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“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
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The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
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Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
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“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
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“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
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“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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