How Many Daily Steps Should You Take to Live Longer? Gretchen Reynolds for the NYT. Two studies suggest the sweet spot for longevity lies around 7,000 to 8,000 daily steps or about 30 to 45 minutes of exercise most days.
The studies referenceds are Steps per Day and All-Cause Mortality in Middle-aged Adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study and
U-Shaped Association Between Duration of Sports Activities and Mortality: Copenhagen City Heart Study.
I’ll note that the The Copenhagen City Heart Study rather charmingly found that those sports giving the greatest longevity benefits were those done with other people.
These findings contradict the Glasgow Postal Workers Study, which found benefits from walking more than 15000. (NYT) (Pubmed)