In 1910, 71-year-old Edward Payson Weston walked 3,100 miles from California to New York City in 77 days and was greeted by a half a million fans when he reached his goal.

If your goal is to avoid developing Type 2 diabetes, you can do it with a consistent dedication to walking — and it doesn't have to be anywhere near that distance.

A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism looked at data from more than 5,600 people with a median age of 51 and found that those who get 10,700 steps a day (a bit more than five miles) cut their risk of Type 2 diabetes by 44% compared to folks who get only 6,000 steps daily.

And think of how much more it reduces the risk for most U.S. adults, who only get 3,000 to 4,000 steps daily, according to the Mayo Clinic.

You're at risk for Type 2 diabetes if you're overweight, physically active less than three times a week, have had gestational diabetes, have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or have prediabetes (a fasting blood sugar reading of 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL).

Walking five-plus miles can take 90-120 minutes or more. To fit that into your schedule, you might want to break it into smaller segments, such as 20 minutes before work, 30 minutes at lunchtime, and a 40-60 minute walk before or after dinner, outside or on a treadmill.

Find a routine that works for you — then walk away from diabetes and its complications, such as amputations, kidney failure, and dementia.