Read More: Struggling to Hit Your Step Count? Competition May be the Best Motivation Put simply, 7,500 is also an ideal daily goal with comparable benefits to 10,000 steps. The study also noted that the longevity benefits continued up to 7,500 steps but leveled off after that number. “Several studies have consistently shown that significant health benefits accrue well below 10,000 steps per day,” Stamatakis says.įor instance, a recent Harvard study involving more than 16,000 older women found that those who got at least 4,400 steps a day greatly reduced their risk of dying prematurely when compared with less active women. When the main goal is walking for health, there is more to the story than simply counting a large number of steps. Although clocking 10,000 steps or more a day is certainly a healthy and worthwhile goal - it’s not a one-size-fits-all fitness recommendation. Since the 1960s, researchers have studied the 10,000-steps-a day standard and have turned up mixed results. Today, it’s often a default step count to reach on walking apps on smartphones and fitness trackers. began to include it in broader public health recommendations. Perhaps because it’s a round number and easy to remember, it stuck. Instead, it stems from a 1960s advertising campaign to promote a pedometer in Japan. But contrary to popular belief, this recommendation doesn’t come from science. In general, walking is good exercise because it puts our large muscle groups to work, and has a positive effect on most bodily systems, Stamatakis says.īut for the sake of efficiency - how much walking should one aim for? Public health experts have drilled into us the idea that we need 10,000 steps a day - or about five miles. Walking for Weight Loss: Do We Need 10,000 Steps a Day? It also happens to be one of the most studied forms of exercise there is. Yet, in the age of CrossFit and high-intensity cardio, walking is perhaps an under-appreciated way to get the heart pumping and muscles working. Most people can maintain a walking practice throughout their lifetime. The beauty of walking is that it’s free, it doesn’t require a lot of special equipment and can be done almost anywhere. “Regular walking has all the standard benefits of aerobic exercise, such as improvements in the heart and circulatory systems, better blood glucose control, normalization of blood pressure and reduction of anxiety and depression,” Stamatakis says.
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