Completing 10,000 steps daily is a healthy and worthwhile goal. However, it’s not a magic number or even necessary for good health.
Japanese marketers devised the recommendation for 10,000 steps daily to sell a pedometer in the mid-1960s. There was no science behind it. But since the 1960s, research finds the number of steps needed to lower the risk for cardiovascular disease can be much lower: 7,000 steps daily promise significant health benefits. And it still enables walkers to accomplish the recommended 150 minutes of activity weekly.
Consider the cadence factor – walking very briskly versus leisurely strolling. Walking 10,000 steps slowly may not help you reach your goals but walking fewer steps at a much quicker pace utilizes more calories and gets you fitter, faster.
If you can’t walk briskly, you can increase the intensity of your walk (make each step more of an effort) by choosing a route with more hills or stairs. Or wear a weighted vest to add just 10 per cent of your body mass. This can make a slower walking speed similar in intensity to walking faster without added weight.
Incidentally, a cadence of 100 steps or more per minute is a recognized threshold for moderate-intensity activity in adults. Most sources agree the range for moderate intensity is walking 4 to 6.4 kilometres per hour (kph).
A moderate pace is 4 to 5.5 kph, and a brisk pace is 5.5 to 6.4 kph. The fastest walking pace is 8 kph. Any faster, you’d likely be jogging or running.
Walking 10,000 steps daily is considered “very active.” However, being “moderately active” or “active” is just as beneficial to your good health, and most sources define that as 5,500 to 7,500 steps daily.
One study found as few as 4,400 steps daily significantly lowered mortality rates compared with 2,700 steps per day. And as daily steps increased, mortality rates progressively decreased but levelled at approximately 7,500 steps per day.
For many, 10,000 steps can be intimidating – and inconvenient, if you are trying to fit it into one workout (it may take two or more hours to accomplish 10,000 steps – about 8 km – in a single exercise session).
Being overwhelmed can end your good intentions to be active.
Instead of focusing on numbers, think frequency and intensity. Try to exercise regularly, at least three times weekly, at a moderate pace.
Progressively adding more activity into your lifestyle is easier and less intimidating than trying to accomplish 10,000 steps every day – especially if you are new to physical activity.
Walking is a great activity. But it’s not the only one that ensures good health and improves fitness. It’s not what you do: it’s only essential that you are moving. So, what’s the best activity for you? The one you enjoy doing because you’ll be sure to stick with it.
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Eve Lees has been active in the health & fitness industry since 1979. Currently, she is a Freelance Health Writer for several publication and speaks to business and private groups on various health topics.