There is a common thread that runs through much of the fitness literature that says you need to get at least 10,000 steps every day. While the original idea behind the 10,000 steps was an advertising gimmick, there is mixed evidence regarding your daily steps.
Why 10,000 Steps?
So what are the real numbers?
What your expectations are for walking, will determine how many steps you need each day. Is your goal to lessen the changes of heart attack? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to stay mobile? Your goal(s) are what decides how many steps you should be taking every day.
Less Than Minimum Steps
You should try to get 5,000 steps a day if you don’t want to be counted as sedentary. Sedentary lifestyle is often called being a couch potato. Instead of exercising, you probably spend more time sitting at a computer or other device, watching TV, looking at your phone/tablet, or playing video games. Your sedentary lifestyle may come from your job or how you spend your leisure time. You travel by car, on buses, or on trains instead of walking. The effects of a sedentary lifestyle are numerous:3
- Obesity
- Heart diseases
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Stroke
- Metabolic syndrome
- Type 2 diabetes
- Certain cancers
- Osteoporosis and falls
- Increased feelings of depression and anxiety
- shorten life expectancy
Minimum Steps
Truly the minimum steps you should get every day is more like 7,000 to 7,500. Getting at least 7,000 steps every day contribute to:
- reduced mortality risk by around 50%
- improved cardiovascular health
- reduced risk of diabetes
- reduced risk of cancer
- reduced depression
- Better weight management
- better sleep quality
My story
I successfully lost about 60 pounds several years ago, mostly by walking. I started off with the common belief about the 10,000 steps. What I learned however was that I needed more than 10,000 to lode weight. There was a time when I was getting 15,000 to 18,000 steps every day. That many steps combined with a sensible diet allowed me to lose all that weight. Then I got injured, then the weather changed, and probably a dozen other lame excuses meant that I put most of that weight back on.
Reviewing what I had done and testing it out with more recent experimenting got me to my optimal step count – 12,000 steps daily. When I get at least 12,000 steps every day and eat right, I will lose weight. I didn’t do anything magical to discover this. I just kept experimenting with different counts – and kept a log. Someone once said, you can’t change anything that you don’t keep track of. You need to track your steps, your exercise and your food intake. These are the only ways you will be able to successfully control your weight.
Please remember, it isn’t just about the cardio. You should also be doing some resistance exercises too if you really want to get in your best shape. But always talk to your physician before starting any new exercise or diet routine!
1 https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/walking-10k-steps-a-day-fact-fiction
3 https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html