How many steps should you walk per day?

Most recommendations for exactly how many steps you need to walk per day speak of 10,000 – which is about 7-8 km. It is believed that this is the minimum rate of steps that must be taken to maintain basic health parameters.

This level of physical activity is necessary to activate the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system. On the other hand, the rate of steps per day always depends on the age and general physical condition of a particular person.

How many steps per day should I take?

Strictly speaking, scientific research does not set an unambiguous standard of steps that must be taken daily. Most often we are talking about the minimum level of activity – at least 30 minutes a day, 5-7 times a week. The figure of 10,000 steps is used primarily for simplification.

A similar level of physical activity in 30-60 years of age is statistically associated with normal blood pressure and lower blood glucose levels. However, it is not at all necessary to walk several kilometers every day – you can do other types of cardio.

Ultimately, a person’s age, weight, and fitness level play a big role – not to mention walking speed and heart rate. For example, in older age, the norm of 10,000 steps can be an almost impossible task.

Recommended number of steps per day:

• Less than 5000 – sedentary lifestyle
• 5000 – 7500 – low level of daily activity
• 7500 – 10000 – average activity level
• 10000 – 12500 – active lifestyle
• More than 12500 – extremely active lifestyle

10,000 – The norm

The recommendation to walk 10,000 steps daily appeared in the 1960s in Japan, after the invention of the electronic pedometer. However, no scientific research was done when choosing this number, and “10,000 steps” is only a translation of the name of the first Manpo-kei pedometer.

However, the figure is widely used as a standard for the number of steps you need to take in a day. Most modern pedometers and fitness bracelets use exactly this distance (and 10,000 steps is about 7-8 km) in their recommendations – often regardless of age.

WHO Recommendations

The World Health Organization (WHO) also uses 10,000 steps per day in its healthy lifestyle materials, not as a key number, but only as a lower limit for an indicator of an active lifestyle.

At the same time, according to statistics, the very fact of counting steps taken per day is closely related to an increase in the overall level of mobility. Apparently, the more attention a person devotes to analyzing his daily activity, the more he moves and walks.

Weekly rate of activity

Scientists tend to talk not just about counting the steps taken per day, but about controlling the total time of physical activity. WHO recommends walking or other light cardio for at least 30 minutes per session five or more times a week for a total of at least 150 minutes per week.

Optionally, these 150 minutes can be replaced by more intense workouts with an increased heart rate – in this case, 75 minutes is enough. Two workouts per week should be devoted to performing exercises on the main muscle groups.

In addition, there is a potential danger of striving to walk precisely 10,000 steps a day – not all people, especially those in old age, will benefit from such a figure. If a person has been sedentary for a long time, trying to drastically increase the level of activity to “normal” can be harmful.

Health benefits of walking

Studies show that older people who walk at least 6,000 steps a day are much less at risk of losing mobility than their inactive peers. Every 1,000 steps added to that number reduces that risk by an additional 16-18 percent.

Recall that the main supplements designed to improve the condition of the knee joints are glucosamine and chondroitin. They contribute to the prevention of cartilage destruction processes and stimulate the regeneration of connective tissues.

How to lose weight by walking?

Walking briskly for 30 minutes, during which you can walk about 3 km, is equivalent to 3000 steps. If you spend most of your day sitting, these extra steps will definitely come in handy. A sedentary lifestyle is the source of many chronic diseases.

It is also important that with the help of walking, you can lose weight. To do this, first of all, you need to ensure that your heart rate is in the fat-burning zone of the pulse  – in other words, walking should be quite active.

In addition, you need to pay attention to the number of calories that you consume daily with food – getting rid of excess weight is achieved only when the body needs to spend fat reserves. If you overeat, you will not be able to burn fat by walking.

How many calories are burned while walking?

On average, an adult can burn up to 300-400 kcal per hour while walking fast, and when walking one kilometer, the body spends about 60-80 kcal. A 10,000-step distance will require about 400-600 calories – a quarter of the average calorie intake per day.

Walking regularly at a brisk pace makes the heart beat faster, which is good for the body’s metabolism. The supply of tissues with oxygen improves, the level of bad cholesterol in the blood decreases, and the production of insulin normalizes. People who walk at least 6,000-8,000 steps a day have a lower risk of developing obesity.

The norm of 10,000 steps per day (about 7-8 km) is only an average purely. Studies show that in older age people need about 5000-8000 steps per day, and you need to count not the steps taken, but the total time of physical activity per week.