How Many Steps a Day?

Hippocrates: "Walking is man's best medicine!"

The health benefits of physical activity for people of all ages, fitness levels, and sociodemographic backgrounds are well-documented. The physical activity guidelines encourage everyone to move more and sit less throughout the day.

Walking, is an easy and popular form of physical activity

Taking more steps per day is associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality. The more steps you take everyday, you reduce your chances of cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes and death from all causes.

I'm sure most of you have heard of the 10,000 steps a day goal. But is that an appropriate for you?

It all depends on your current fitness and activity levels.

Most people have cellular devices or smart watches that already track your daily steps. Having additional 1000 to 2000 steps daily can improve the benefits you receive from walking.

At the minimum aim for 7000 steps daily.

1000 steps is estimated to 10 minutes of walking. I'm sure most people can find moments to add 20 minutes of walking during their day.

If you're at 5000 steps daily - aim for 7000 steps daily.

If you're at 7000+ steps daily - aim for 9000 steps daily.

If you're at 8000+ steps daily - aim for the 10,000 steps daily recommendation.

See below for diagram from one of the studies comparing steps to all cause mortality rate.

So let's get Walking

"Walking is the only form of transportation in which a man proceeds erect – like a man – on his own legs, under his own power. There is immense satisfaction in that." - Edward Abbey

Resources:
[1] https://www.acsm.org/blog-detail/acsm-certified-blog/2019/06/14/walking-10000-steps-a-day-physical-activity-guidelines

[2] KRAUS, WILLIAM E.1; JANZ, KATHLEEN F.2; POWELL, KENNETH E.3; CAMPBELL, WAYNE W.4; JAKICIC, JOHN M.5; TROIANO, RICHARD P.6; SPROW, KYLE6; TORRES, ANDREA7; PIERCY, KATRINA L.8; FOR THE 2018 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE* Daily Step Counts for Measuring Physical Activity Exposure and Its Relation to Health, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: June 2019 - Volume 51 - Issue 6 - p 1206-1212.https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001932

[3]Hall, K.S., Hyde, E.T., Bassett, D.R. et al. Systematic review of the prospective association of daily step counts with risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, and dysglycemia. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 17, 78 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-00978-9

[4]Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Bassett DR, et al. Association of Daily Step Count and Step Intensity With Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA. 2020;323(12):1151–1160. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.1382