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Ease into a walking routine: how a little exercise goes a long way

Just a bit of activity can help. We spoke with Dr. Gregg Silverman about how to lower your risk for circulatory disease.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It's easier to take a step into better heart health than you think. Recent studies find that even just taking a walk makes great strides towards preventing circulatory diseases.

We spoke with Dr. Gregg Silverman about how to kick off a new routine.

Related: Carotid Artery Disease and you, the signs and symptoms

It's good news for those who don't have time for a full exercise routine, so we asked Dr. Silverman for the specifics of the study.

"Well what we're looking at is Peripheral Artery Disease," Dr. Silverman said, "And what that means basically is people who have pains in their calves when they walk or blockages in the arteries of their legs. That's called Peripheral Artery Disease."

"The symptoms basically are, when you walk you get pain in your calves. You can also have numbness in your legs." Dr. Silverman explained.

"What this study showed was 'look, you don't have to go into a physical therapy office three days a week'." But instead, "Those people who exercised even at just their house could go further on a six-minute walk test, or they had less symptoms."

For folks at home thinking 'walking, what's that really gonna do for me?' we asked, what's the big picture?

"Besides making you feel better and making your mental state a little better, this study also suggested that all it takes is for you to walk at least three times a week, and you will start being stronger and have less significant symptoms, and be able to do more with your life." Dr. Silverman told us.

"Does it require a lot of work? Not really. It requires about 30 minutes a day."

And there's not even special equipment involved. That 30 minutes is all it takes to make a change.

Be sure to check out our full interview with Dr. Silverman.

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