How many steps a day do you really need?

Instructions for physical activity are usually expressed in terms of duration and intensity. But there is a simpler idea, during the day you can aim for a certain number of steps aimed at better physical health.

The results of seven studies show that, despite the differences between individuals, most people do 100 steps per minute – there are large differences depending on age – something that represents a moderate gait intensity. For 30 minutes, which is a daily walking recommendation means 3,000 steps follow. Often, the recommended goal is 10,000 steps a day, which means 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Why do you need so many steps?

This goal, although based on certain elements, is probably a marketing tool. In 1965, for example, the Yamasa Clock and Instrument Company in Japan sold a pedometer called a “Manpo-kei,” which translates to about “ten thousand steps.” But that was just a round number. And for many seniors, 10,000 steps a day can be a daunting task.

Gradually, the 10,000-step-a-day rule was adopted by the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association. But in recent years more and more experts are expressing their doubts. One problem is that the intensity of the exercise is not taken into account. The increase in heart rate that occurs with brisk walking is very important.

If you use a mobile application that measures your steps you may find that these are far less than the magic number of 10,000 steps per day. But do not worry so much because a study found in older women that just 4,400 steps a day reduced the risk of premature mortality [1].

This study came as a surprise. It was found that women who took the fewest steps in or out of their home, averaging 2,700 a day, had the highest risk of death. Those who took 4,400 steps a day (equivalent to about 3.2 kilometers) had a 41% lower risk of premature death than less mobile women. The risk stopped decreasing after about 7,500 steps. Previous studies have shown that more exercise is better than less exercise, although there is a limit to this.

There is little data on how many steps we need to take each day. This is a knowledge gap, as so many people today track the measurements of their steps through a mobile application. However, 4,400 steps a day is a small number. A review of 32 studies published between 1980 and 2000 showed that healthy adults, between the ages of 20-50, take 7,000-13,000 steps a day. And a 2011 study found that healthy adults take 4,000 to 18,000 steps a day, so 10,000 steps is a reasonable goal for older people.

If you are looking for a way to compare your daily steps with your activity level, consider the following categories:

• Small activity: less than 5,000 per day
• Average activity: from 7,500 to 10,000 per day
• Enough activity: over 12,500 per day.

If you can reach 10,000 steps a day, that’s very good and certainly no one should be discouraged from reaching that goal. Note that the 10,000 steps are about 7.5-8 kilometers and this distance is considered to help reduce certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

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References

1. How many steps/day are enough? for adults.
2. Association of Step Volume and Intensity With All-Cause Mortality in Older Women.