Walking is akin to a miracle cure. Scientific research has repeatedly shown that the simple, ancient human habit of taking step after step can help you lose weight, raise your metabolism, strengthen your heart and lungs, and galvanise your bones, joints and muscles.
It can help to prevent dementia, Type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease. And it’s available to all: according to Harvard researchers, it can even counteract weight gain in people born with weight-promoting genes.
Walking has been shown to boost mood, reduce anxiety and enhance sleep. It can even cut cravings for sugary foods, reduce your number of sick days and boost your creative thinking.
Dr Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), believes walking is “the closest thing we have to a wonder drug”.
Some of the benefits of walking stem from the physical motion involved, which burns calories, lubricates joints and muscles, boosts blood flow and fortifies bones.
Other rewards are derived from the mental freedom and perspective it yields. Further health gains originate from the simple act of injecting more movement and mobility into your day. But, together, the results are astonishing.
This is why global health bodies universally encourage us to start ambling, strolling, plodding, hiking, trekking or rambling over pavements, grass, mud or beaches, through forests or fields or on whirring treadmills – however, wherever and whenever we can.
Where does the 10,000 steps goal come from?
In recent years, the specific health goal of 10,000 steps a day has become baked into the public consciousness.
And there is some science to back up the figure. Studies published by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that walking 10,000 steps a day is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia.
A 2016 research paper found walking 10,000 steps per day can lower body fat percentage, reduce anxiety, depression and fatigue, and boost mood after only 12 weeks.
However, a far more nuanced picture is now emerging. While 10,000 steps a day is a healthy target to aim for, it seems this figure is somewhat arbitrary.
As you might guess from the catchy number, it originated as a marketing slogan. In the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Yamasa Corporation, which manufactured industrial instruments and special watches, came up with an early-generation wearable pedometer called a Manpo-Kei, which translates as the “10,000 steps meter”.
Where this step target came from, nobody knows. Some have suggested it may have been chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 looks like a man running or walking.
Although the 10,000 steps target appears to be an educated, albeit arbitrary figure to aim for, later research by Dr Yoshiro Hatano, an academic at Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, found 10,000 steps a day was indeed a good target.
He found that people who took 10,000 steps could achieve a sustainable calorie burn of 300 calories per day, which research had suggested offered a protective effect against heart disease.
But it wasn’t until the huge boom in wearable technology in the 2000s that the figure spread around the world, with the World Health Organisation and other health bodies adopting the 10,000 steps goal.
This figure is so ingrained into our health consciousness it is usually the default setting in wearable fitness trackers.
While there is some reasonable science to back up this target, most studies are based on a rather simplistic comparison between people who take 10,000 steps a day and those who reach far lower numbers.
Inevitably, people who take 10,000 steps tend to be fitter and healthier. But in recent years, researchers have taken a more forensic approach to the issue, and the results have been revealing. Here are the five key findings:
7,500 steps is the sweet spot
Research by Harvard Medical School has revealed that, even though mortality rates improve with the more daily steps you take, the benefits level off after around 7,500 steps.
Any more, such as the magical 10,000 figure, will burn more calories and keep you fit. But 7,500 steps is enough if you want to live longer.
Even taking 4,400 daily steps is associated with a huge 41% reduction in mortality. But you can reap the most benefits from 7,500 steps a day – 25% fewer than the 10,000-step target.
However, there is still no universally agreed figure in the research community. A major global study, by the Medical University of Lodz and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, which analysed 226,000 people, showed 4,000 steps is enough to reduce the risk of dying prematurely, while just over 2,300 steps is enough to start benefitting the heart and blood vessels.
But the more steps you take, the more you gain. Every 1,000 daily steps beyond 4,000 reduces your risk of dying early by 15%.
Another study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, involving 111,000 people, found the health benefits begin at around 2,600 steps per day, but they plateau at around 8,800 steps per day.
So, while there is no hard number to aim for, the evidence now suggests 7,500-8,800 steps per day is a more solid marker to target. Taking at least 2,300 steps will still help.
And 10,000 or above is still potent if you enjoy walking or want to lose weight. But you can enjoy a beautiful spectrum of health benefits from the 7,500-8,800 mark.
Walk faster
Research has injected an interesting new dimension into the steps debate. It seems the pace of your walks is also an important factor.
A brisk, purposeful 4mph seems best. A huge study of 475,000 people by the University of Leicester found that women who walk briskly, at over 4mph, enjoy a life-expectancy boost of up to 15 years over those who move at less than 3mph.
For men, the life expectancy boost was even higher – around 20 years. Experts don’t know if this is because walking faster is better for the heart and lungs, or if it is just a general reflection of existing good health. But picking up the pace on your daily walks seems to offer a powerful health upgrade.
Move more during the day
Targeting a certain number of steps per day is a good idea, because quantifying exercise boosts your motivation and commitment. But when and how you take those steps is important, too.
Research suggests that to counter the impact of a sedentary modern lifestyle, it is vital to achieve more movement throughout the day. Most of us spend 50-70% of our time sitting down.
Long periods of sitting are associated with a 90% increase in the risk of death from heart problems and a 49% increase in the overall risk of dying.
But staying active throughout the day helps to counter those risks. Research suggests that even regular strolls – around the office or in the park at lunchtime – can protect against the harmful effects of sitting.
One study showed that short 10-minute walks reverse the vascular dysfunction – such as reduced blood flow and increased stress on the artery walls – caused by sedentary jobs.
A global team of scientists found that doing only three minutes of moderate exercise for each hour of the day you spend sitting down can cut your chance of an early death by 30%.
So, adding these micro-bursts of movement during the working day can help to counter the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Add in some HIIT
Walking offers a spectacular all-round health boost, but there are some things other forms of exercise are better for.
You need to raise your heart rate in order to further strengthen your cardiovascular system and lung performance.
Whether you choose runs, bike rides or fitness classes, the best intensity to aim for is 85-95% of your maximum heart rate – enough to make you feel out of breath.
A major review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found high-intensity interval training – short bursts of 30-second or 1-minute efforts at 85-95% of your maximum heart rate – significantly improve maximal oxygen uptake, diastolic blood pressure, blood sugar levels, waist circumference, body fat percentage, resting heart rate and systolic blood pressure.
So, enjoy your walks, but make sure you add in two or three harder workouts per week.
Lift weights
In addition to your walks, it is important to do resistance training. Lean muscle mass deteriorates with age (a process known as sarcopenia). However, strength training – whether lifting dumbbells or completing bodyweight drills – has been shown to improve muscle mass, burn abdominal fat, boost metabolism, enhance balance and mobility, reduce inflammation and improve bone health – all vital supplements to your daily walking regime.
A study by Penn State College of Medicine found adults who do strength training twice a week have a 46% lower risk of death from any cause. And a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research found that two resistance training sessions per week is enough to protect your bone density and muscle mass as you age.
Walking truly is a magical elixir for good health. And it should be the foundation stone of any healthy lifestyle. But whatever daily steps target you aim for, don’t forget to take a few extra steps to protect your overall health.
