I recently learned how the 10000 step “gold standard” for health came about, and it’s not what you think it is. 10000 steps/day for health did NOT come about because of a medical breakthrough… but instead, just a clever mash up of a little bit of research and marketing.
In 1965 a Japanese researcher named Dr. Yoshiro Hatano wanted to encourage Japanese people to move more to stay healthy (Not a bad idea!). In his research, he found that doubling the average steps people were getting from just over 4000 to 10000 tended to help when it came to weight management.
Around this same time, a new pedometer was launched by a Japanese company called the “Manpo-kei” which translates to “ 10000 steps meter”, not to mention that the Japanese “kanji” for 10000 (万) literally looks like a stick figure walking! Pretty neat. Between this and the new pedometer slogan, the 10000 step goal came to be. And it has STUCK!
Obviously, since then more research has been done around the 10000 step “gold standard” and what it actually means for your health. And basically from the research they have found that correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation. Maybe you are more likely to have better health markers when you hit 10000 steps daily and consistently, BUT people who can get 10000 steps daily also tend to be more healthy to begin with.
If you can easily reach 10000 steps/day you probably aren’t chronically ill, disabled, severely overweight or sit at a desk for the majority of the day. So it’s not so much that 10000 steps a day is the magic number that results in health, it’s that the people who can and do do this daily are already healthier individuals. Makes sense.
So why should you still track your steps and aim for a daily average?
Well, movement is medicine! And moving MORE on a consistent basis is good for you!
It can be surprisingly easy to only reach 3000 steps a day in the world we live in. Everything we do is getting easier, faster and more accessible. You don’t have to work near as hard or travel as far to get what you need. And to be honest, 3000 steps is not enough to keep your heart and muscles healthy and happy.
If 10000 steps/day isn’t the magic cure-all, what daily step count should you aim for?
A lot of research links the most health benefit to around 7000-8000, which also seems to be a pretty realistic number for most people. At around 7500 steps/day mortality risk drops and cardiovascular health markers improve.
If you aren’t already getting 7000-8000 steps a day, and that seems like a bit of a stretch, you don’t need to go from 3000 to 7000 overnight. Slowly increase your daily goal by about 2000. Once you can consistently hit that over a period of a week or two, bump it up another 2000. You will be there in no time.
Now you might be wondering how you even go about adding 2000 steps a day to your already packed schedule of work, kids and activities.
Simple and easy adds to your day like:
- Parking at the back of the parking lot (this is my personal favorite, just ask anyone who ever rides with me)
- Taking the stairs when available, rather than the elevator
- Taking a short, brisk walk after each meal- this also helps a ton with digestion.
- Walking to get the mail, or to the store, instead of driving just a block or two.
Picking up a few extra steps here and there stacks up.
Another fun research find, is that intensity is actually equally as beneficial as quantity when it comes to steps. In other words, walking at a brisk pace (think getting a bit out of breath and maybe it’s hard to carry on a conversation) for a shorter duration/distance offers similar health benefits to slower walks that are longer in duration.
So rather than getting hung up on a number, you can always just amp up the intensity on busy days and still reap the health benefits.
Health benefits like improvements in cardiovascular/heart health, bone density, mood and mental clarity as well as helping a ton with weight loss and maintenance of that fat loss.
Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise there is. Most everyone can do it, and you don’t need any equipment. It is relatively low impact and it’s fun to do with others, not to mention it gets you outside in the fresh air.
So enough sitting and reading this article. Get up, and get walking. Take the stairs, park at the back of the lot and call a friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with and go for a walk.