Scientists change the number of steps needed to stay healthy

 

For decades, 10,000 steps has been the benchmark for those trying to boost their health – even though the figure was initially decided not by scientists, but a Japanese marketing team advertising a pedometer.

Whether it was from a blog post or the instruction manual of your new wearable health device, you’ve probably heard along the way that taking 10,000 steps a day is good for you. If you’re an average American keen to maximize your health, energy, and productivity, you probably took that advice.

Nevertheless, the figure has become embedded in health regimes around the world and numerous studies have confirmed the benefits of hitting the magic number.

The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles. It’s a good idea to find out how many steps a day you walk now, as your own baseline. 

Getting up and moving more is a good idea. But science had no idea if there was a magic number of steps for health or what it might be. So, a team out of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst set out to fix that, finally conducting a study to determine how many steps you should really aim for.

New Research

Now however, new research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology has shown even walking less than 10,000 steps still has significant health benefits. Analysis of 226,889 people from 17 different studies found the risk of dying from any health-related cause, including cardiovascular disease, decreases significantly with every extra 500 to 1,000 steps walked.

An increase of 1,000 steps a day was associated with a 15% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause, and an increase of 500 steps a day was associated with a 7% reduction in dying from cardiovascular disease.

Myriad studies have shown the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, which may contribute to cardiovascular disease and a shorter lifespan. More women than men and people in higher income countries do not undertake a sufficient amount of physical activity every week, but increasing steps is an easy, and free, way to improve health.

According to World Health Organization data, insufficient physical activity is the fourth most frequent cause of death in the world, with 3.2 million deaths a year related to physical inactivity. And while not exercising enough has serious consequences, the study found no upper limit at which point the benefits ceased.

If you’re already walking more than 10,000 steps a day, or if you’re fairly active and trying to lose weight, you’ll probably want to set your daily step goal higher.

That doesn’t mean that there’s no reason you might want to walk more. The more you move, the more calories you burn–so if your goal is losing weight, longer walks are likely to be more effective. And on the cognitive side, a huge amount of research shows that walking can help improve your creativity and may even help keep your brain young. Plus, it’s a big, beautiful world out there. On your feet is a great way to explore it.

How to include more steps in your day

Once you’ve determined your goals, try these ideas for fitting more walking into your routine:

• Take the dog for a walk. If you don’t have a dog, volunteer to walk dogs at an animal shelter. Or combine your activity with social time by joining a friend to walk his or her dog.
• Try music. A bouncy tune or something with a strong beat can make activity more enjoyable and help motivate you to walk farther or faster.
• Include the family. Instead of an afternoon movie, go for a walk or hike together.
• Go in person. Instead of sending a work email, walk to your colleague’s desk.
• Walk while waiting. Take a walk instead of sitting when you’re early for an appointment or waiting for a flight.
• Schedule workday walks. Put reminders in your calendar for short walking breaks to ramp up your energy throughout the day. Have a one-on-one meeting? Plan to walk and talk.
• Park farther away. Choose parking spots farther away from the entrance. If you take the bus, get off a stop early and walk the rest of the way.
• Take the stairs. Even going down the stairs counts as steps and burns calories.

How far will you go today? Your goal will depend on your starting point. But nearly everyone can reap the benefits of walking more, step by step.

Source: 10,000 steps a day: Too low? Too high? – Mayo Clinic

Photo credit: (Picture: Getty/Johner RF)