Most of us already know that 10,000 steps are recommended everywhere as a goal to be achieved – but where did that number come from?
The goal of 10,000 steps per day appears to have come from a pedometer with a trade name sold in 1965 by Yamasa Clock in Japan. The device was called “Manpo-kei”, which translates to “10,000 steps meter”. This was a marketing tool for the device and seemed to have remained worldwide as the daily goal. It is even included in the daily activity goals of popular smartwatches, such as Fitbit.
Since then, the research has investigated the goal of 10,000 steps per day. The fact that some studies have shown that this step goal improves heart health, mental health and even reduces the risk of diabetes may, to some extent, explain why we continue with this arbitrary number.
In Ancient Rome, distances were measured by counting steps. In fact, the word “mile” was derived from the Latin phrase mila passum, which means 1,000 steps – about 2,000 steps. It is suggested that an average person walks about 100 steps per minute – which would mean that it would take just under 30 minutes for an average person to walk a mile. Therefore, for someone to reach the goal of 10,000 steps, it will be necessary to walk between 6 and 8 km per day (about two hours of activity).
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But while some research has shown health benefits with 10,000 steps, a recent Harvard Medical School survey showed that, on average, about 4,400 steps a day is enough to significantly reduce the risk of death in women. This was compared to just walking about 2,700 steps a day. The more steps people took, the lower the risk of dying, before stabilizing at around 7,500 steps per day. No additional benefits were seen with further steps. Although it is uncertain whether similar results would be seen in men, it is an example of how moving a little more daily can improve health and decrease the risk of death.
While the World Health Organization recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week (or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity), research also shows that even low-intensity exercise can improve your health – although moderate intensity exercises improve to a greater extent. This means that your steps throughout the day can contribute to your 150 minutes of target activity.
The activity can also help to mitigate the damage of sitting for long periods of time. Research has shown that people who sit for eight or more hours every day have a 59% higher risk of death compared to those who sit for less than four hours a day. However, they also found that if people did 60-75 minutes a day of moderate intensity physical activity, it seemed to eliminate this increased risk of death. Therefore, the possibility of taking a brisk walk can help to mitigate the negative effects of sitting for a long time.
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Recent research by the University of Texas has also shown that if you walk less than 5,000 steps a day, your body is less able to metabolize fat the next day. The accumulation of fat in the body can also increase a person’s likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This is further confirmed by previous research, which shows that people who walked less than 4,000 steps a day were unable to reverse this reduced fat metabolism.
Increased physical activity, such as step counting, reduces the risk of death by improving your health, including reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases such as dementia and certain types of cancer. In some cases, it helps to improve health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. Exercise can also help us to improve and maintain our immune system. However, based on current research, it appears that taking 10,000 steps a day is not essential for health benefits – half of that goal appears to be beneficial.
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If you want to increase the number of steps you take daily, or simply want to move more, an easy way to do this is to increase your current step count by about 2,000 steps per day. Other easy ways to move around more daily include walking to work, if possible, or participating in an online exercise program, if you are working from home. Meeting friends for a walk – instead of at a cafe or pub – can also be helpful. And given that even small amounts of physical activity positively impact your health, taking regular breaks to move around if you’re working at a table all day will help you get more physical activity easily.
