Are 10,000 steps per day necessary for optimal health?

When it comes to finding a fitness regimen you can stick to, we have lots of options to choose from. We can strength train. We can play pickleball or tennis. We can do cardio, yoga, pilates, or join a local boot camp class.

But there’s one form of exercise that is often overlooked, and ironically, it’s the form of exercise 99% of us can perform – for free – every day if we wish.

That form of exercise is walking.

The “Myth” of 10,000 steps

For years, getting 10,000 steps per day has been touted as the benchmark of health we should all strive for.

Walking is the most basic human movement there is. Since the dawn of time, we have used walking as a means of transportation. It has been estimated our hunter gatherer ancestors walked between 16,000 and 17,000 steps per day, every day. Combine this with a lack of processed food (and perhaps a lack of available food in general), and it’s clear to see why obesity was non-existent before modern society came to be.

Walking that frequently isn’t feasible for most of us. 16,000 – 17,000 steps is around 8 miles of walking, which would take around 90 minutes per day to accomplish. Perhaps some of us have enough free time on our hands to get that many steps in, but with jobs, careers, families, and responsibilities, most of us aren’t so lucky.

As such, 10,000 steps per day has always been recommended. But where did that number come from?

The original 10,000 steps per day recommendation came from a Japanese advertising campaign from the 1960’s. In 1965, a Japanese company created a Manpo-kei, which translates to “10,000 steps meter”.

The magical 10,000 number isn’t based on any studies; in fact, it’s just a number pulled out of thin air, designed to entice Japanese consumers to buy a new pedometer they had just put on the open market (this is similar to how “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” has no merit – it’s simply a slogan the breakfast lobby created to persuade you to buy more cereal).

But that doesn’t mean walking more isn’t a good idea. In fact, it’s an excellent idea, for a lot of reasons. You just don’t need to worry about getting a full 10,000 steps per day; the benefits from walking don’t require as much movement as you think they do.

The benefits of brisk walking

There are a myriad of health benefits you can achieve without any strenuous activity at all – just walking at a moderate pace each day will help you in many different ways.

Cardiovascular benefits

Walking improves your heart and lung health, making your cardiovascular system more efficient. This lowers the risk of many diseases, including the risk of all-cause mortality. If you walk consistently, you will become better at walking; your stamina will increase and you’ll find walking long distances becomes easier quickly.

You’ll not only reduce the risk for disease and death, but you’ll find it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Your blood pressure and resting heart rate will decrease. Your aerobic capacity will improve. Your heart and arteries will become stronger, clearer, and healthier.

Improved mental health

Daily walking can lead to a healthier mental outlook on life. For those with depression, anxiety, and stress related disorders, getting outside into the fresh air, and moving your body is the best form of self-care you have at your disposal.

Increasing not only your step count, but the time you spend in the sunlight, or in nature, is the perfect way to get “out of your head” and out into the real world.

A recent study showed regular, daily exercise is over 1.5 times more effective at managing depression and anxiety than prescriptions and therapy – combined.

Furthermore, research from The International Journal of Psychophysiology shows walking for just 1/4 of a mile in nature each day provides a relief from stress and anxiety – and an improved psychological state – when compared to indoor exercise.

Stronger muscles and bones

In the untrained individual, walking contributes to the strengthening of the muscles in your lower body.

Additionally, bone density will improve, making your body more resilient to falls and bone breaks.

Once your body becomes adapted to walking, you will need to shift to proper resistance training to see your muscles and bones continue to strengthen, but walking is an excellent first step in this process.

How many steps do you really need?

10,000 steps per day has forever been the gold standard of health. But is that many steps really necessary? Many people think their efforts are wasted if they can’t get to this elusive number. As such, they give up if they can’t hit 5 digits in step counts per day.

Dr. I-Min Lee is an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a researcher on physical activity. In 2019, Dr. Lee and her colleagues looked closely at the effects of walking on a large population of 16,741 women – and the results were surprising.

A few, key notes from the research:

• “Sedentary” women were defined as women who walked 2,700 steps per day, on average (almost all of us get this many steps just from walking around the house during the day).
• Women who averaged 4,400 steps per day (just 1,700 more than the sedentary group) saw a 41% reduction in all-cause mortality (death).
• Mortality rates improved with each increase in steps, before the benefits leveled off at around 7,500 steps per day.
• There were about 9 fewer deaths per 1,000 “person years” in the most active group as compared to the least active group.

If longevity, and living longer is your #1 priority, the research seems you don’t need a full 10,000 steps per day to accomplish your goal – 7,500 steps will do it.

If you get roughly 2,700 steps per day already, that’s just another 4,800 steps per day to strive for. A 30 minute walk each day should do it for you.

Small, daily actions add up to big results

There are a number of ways to easily increase your step count. Many of my fat loss clients have busy lives, and hectic careers. They don’t have hours each day to dedicate to exercise, walking or otherwise. As such, we get strategic and crafty to get healthy and make steps towards their weight loss goals.

Here are some of the strategies they use:

• Split your walks up. Take a 15 minute walk at lunch time and another 15 minute walk after dinner. You don’t need to get all your steps in in one go to reap the benefits of walking.
• Consider getting a standing desk, or a treadmill desk. Perform your daily tasks while walking at a slow pace. It may not seem like much, but this simple habit can add thousands of steps per day to your total.
• Take walking virtual meetings. Pace your office, or your home (if you work from home) as you attend your meeting online. Many people anecdotally report thinking more clearly while walking, which is an added benefit.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park in the back of the parking lot, do your own grocery shopping instead of using Insta-cart, etc. Small, daily decisions you make will really add up and impact your daily step total profoundly.
• Get a dog. Researchers show dog owners walk on average 22 more minutes per day than non-dog owners. That really adds up over time.

Don’t be discouraged by the 10,000 steps per day benchmark. Every little bit helps. Always remember, perfect is the enemy of good. Each day, work to incorporate more activity and walking into your routine, and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.

Jason Helmes is a former Plymouth-Canton teacher who owns and operates Anyman Fitness out of his Canton home. Anyman Fitness is an online fitness coaching service that helps its clients reach their goals in a simple, straightforward manner. You can contact Jason at jason@anymanfitness.com, or visit his site here for more information.