What is a healthy number of steps to walk per day?
Is there a magical number of daily walking steps that will lead a long and healthy life?
(spoiler alert, it’s not always 10,000 steps).
Walking. It’s most likely something you have done since you took your first very first step. Over the years, your feet would have travelled countless miles across various terrains.
While you may not have given that distance much thought, each step could be bring you closer to better health and longevity.
A study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst explored the quantity and quality of daily steps across ages ranging from 18 to 60+.
This was assessed via a meta-analysis of 15 studies involving 50,000 people from four continents. They explored the number of steps needed each day for optimal health.
This also explored additional considerations, including:
The importance of walking pace on health outcomes
If walking outdoors increased the health benefits
If the step count could be broken into smaller increments during the day
The evidence from the meta-study suggests the following:
Between 5,800 to 10,900 steps per day can reduce the risk of premature death by up to 40-53% for adults aged 18 and over, compared to walking 3,500 steps or less
Walking speed did not have an impact on the findings. It is quantity over quality
Steps can be cumulative throughout the day, rather than in one block of time
Walking indoors or outdoors did not impact the findings
The number of steps associated with lower mortality plateaued at around 6,000 to 8,000 per day for people aged 60+.
For people aged 18 to 60 the magical number is between 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.
A Japanese pedometer company actually invented the recommended 10,000 steps per day (without clinical evidence). It wasn’t far off the mark, but it’s also not a definitive number that takes into effect age and impact.
Walk this way...
While the observational study has some limitations, the findings provide an important clinical analysis of the importance of step count on health.
Walking when you can, wherever you can, and at your own pace may be a step forward to improving your health and longevity.
