How many steps should you really take in a day?
How many steps you take daily is talked about a lot. But let’s be real, anything is better than nothing. Everyone plus their mom’s blog says you should be aiming for 10,000 steps in a day. Evidence shows that a third of that is still helpful. If you can get walking for 3,000 steps a day then you’re doing great!
Is walking better than doing an intense workout (moderate to vigorous physical activity)? Turns out the benefits are about the same! The long-term health benefits of upping your step count go toe-to-toe with daily workouts. Pick what works for you – the point is to get moving.
Now let’s break it down into more detail.
Why is everyone so focused on daily step count?
The idea of taking 10,000 steps per day for better health has become extremely popular and widespread. But where did this daily step count goal actually come from?
The 10,000 steps a day recommendation
The 10,000 steps recommendation was originally popularized in a Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer back in the 1960s. The Japanese word for 10,000 (“man”) was used to create the slogan “Let’s walk 10,000 steps a day!”
The Japanese kanji for 10,000 looks like a person walking, so it was a clever icon for the campaign that has last through history to the present.
While catchy, the 10,000 number was not based on specific scientific research at the time. It was simply used as a nice, round target to encourage people to walk more and increase their daily step counts.
Despite the arbitrary origins, studies have shown there are real health benefits to taking 10,000 steps per day:
- Aids in weight loss and weight management
- Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Reduces risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers
- Improves mood, energy levels, and quality of sleep
For most people, 10,000 steps is the equivalent of walking roughly 5 miles. It provides a good target for achieving the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.
For less active individuals, even hitting 3,000-5,000 steps per day can provide significant health benefits compared to being sedentary. More fit people may need 12,000+ steps for weight management.
Ultimately, while 10,000 steps per day is a reasonable target for most people, it shouldn’t be viewed as a magic number. The key is using a step tracker or pedometer app to understand your baseline and then setting personalized daily step goals to increase your overall physical activity.
Steps provide a simple, motivating metric
One of the reasons the “10,000 steps” concept has become so widespread is because steps provide such a simple, motivating metric for physical activity. Walking is one of the most basic exercises, and step counts make it easy to quantify just how active you are each day.
Steps are an easy way to quantify physical activity
Before wearable fitness trackers and smartphone apps, it was difficult for people to get an accurate measurement of their daily activity levels. But now, step counter apps and pedometers allow anyone to easily track and monitor exactly how many steps they are taking.
Having a numerical step count to measure your movement takes a lot of the guesswork out of physical activity goals. You can quickly see if you’re being sedentary or active based on your daily step numbers.
What are the health benefits of walking?
There are a lot of reasons to strut your stuff, many of which come down to better health.
Walking gives your cardiovascular system a boost
Any amount of walking daily is going to be better for your heart than no walking!
Walks will improve your mood
Release some endorphins and experience mindfulness during your walk. Some people claim to have their best ideas while taking a stroll.
Walking builds up bone strength
Using your bones makes them stronger! It’s important for the elderly to keep walking to keep their bones strong.
You can live longer by walking more
Walking brings so many benefits that you live longer because you walk more than your sedentary peers.
Of course, weight loss is a benefit
I mean… this one feels a little close to home. Walking helps you lose weight!
Reduce your risk of cancer by walking
Let’s not joke about it, walking more reduces risk of all-cause mortality and risk of cancer. But remember to wear sunscreen if you’re walking outside.
Walking outside gives your body a chance to make more Vitamin D
Wear sunscreen! It’s time to prompt the your body to produce some of it’s most valuable vitamins. Walking in the sunshine will help you produce more Vitamin D.
Set your own goals for how many steps you take daily
With the ability to precisely count steps, it becomes easy to set a daily step count target as a tangible goal to aim for. Hitting that step goal provides a sense of accomplishment and motivation to keep moving each day. The 10,000 step benchmark serves as a widely recognized daily step count for healthy living.
So how many steps a day should YOU take?
How many steps a day you take should be based on what you typically do. How active are you usually? If you’re a regular athlete, you probably have a higher goal than someone who spends their free time leisurely.
Track your steps and other health goals
The Best Life app makes it easy to monitor your daily step counts and set personalized walking goals tailored to your lifestyle. But it goes beyond just tracking steps – Best Life is an all-in-one health and wellness companion.
Log your workouts, monitor calorie intake, track weight fluctuations over time, and stay motivated. With robust data tracking capabilities, interactive charts and graphs, and integration with wearable devices, Best Life empowers you to take control of your health.
Whether your mission is increasing daily activity, losing weight, or just living better overall, Best Life provides the tools and insights to crush your fitness goals one step at a time.
