Brisk walk may be all that’s needed

There’s no need to run. Just going for a brisk walk may be enough to help keep your heart healthy, according to a study in the journal Chest.

Duke University researchers studied 133 middle-aged, overweight sedentary men and women at risk for heart disease.

Volunteers either did not exercise, walked moderately briskly for 12 miles a week, walked briskly or jogged slowly 12 miles a week, or jogged 20 miles a week.

All the exercise groups saw fitness improvements. But there wasn’t a difference between the two groups that walked 12 miles at differing intensities.