Today's Topic 👉 Cardio

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The fitness industry sells complexity and guilt, but science offers something simpler and more encouraging.

Here are 3 findings that might inspire you to increase your physical activity.

1.

People with high cardiovascular fitness are 53% less likely to die early than people with low fitness.

Not 53% less likely to get winded. 53% less likely to die.

This finding came from one of the largest research reviews ever conducted on fitness and health, covering 20.9 million people. ⁽¹⁾

2.

Fit people (regardless of weight) had no increased death risk compared to fit people at a “normal” weight.

Fitness matters more than the scale. ⁽²⁾

3.

The 10,000-step target? It came from a 1965 Japanese pedometer marketing campaign.

The benefits of walking actually start well below 10,000 steps / day. ⁽³⁾

The U.S. physical activity guidelines recommend a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate activity, and walking counts. ⁽⁴⁾

For perspective, 150 minutes is only 20-25 minutes per day.

AT A GLANCE

• The minimum amount of cardio: 

  • 150 minutes / week of moderate activity OR

  • 75 minutes / week of vigorous aerobic activity. ⁽⁴⁾

• Benefits increase up to a point: After ~300 minutes per week of moderate activity, individuals receive diminishing returns. ⁽⁴⁾

• Something beats nothing. Even below the 150-minute threshold, any increase in activity reduces your mortality risk. ⁽⁴⁾

^{*links to sources at the bottom of the email}

FEATURED RESOURCE

This study is the largest review of fitness and health outcomes ever published with insights from 20.9 million people. The findings are hard to ignore.

Lang et al. (2024): Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality

MORE ON THE TOPIC

Want the full breakdown? In this week’s Smarter Wellness Weekly, I dig into the following topics:

• The dose-response curve (how much is enough?)

• HIIT vs. steady-state (settle the debate)

• Does cardio kill your gains? (we bust this myth)

• My “Cardio Fundamentals” plan (what the research actually supports)

SOURCES

1. Lang et al., 2024 — CRF and mortality, overview of 26 meta-analyses (BJSM)
2. Weeldreyer et al., 2025 — CRF, BMI, and mortality meta-analysis (BJSM)
3. Paluch et al., 2022 — Daily steps and mortality, 15 cohorts (Lancet Public Health)
4. U.S. DHHS, 2018 — Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd ed.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Brian S. Dye, Ed.D., is the founder of Applied Wellness, an evidence-based wellness education platform that helps people access, understand, and apply credible wellness information.

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