Instead Of Chasing 10,000 Steps…

There is a better way:

Make it count

Fun fact: the widely promoted goal originated from a 1964 Japanese pedometer called the “Manpo-kei” (“10,000 steps meter”) as a marketing decision rather than from clinical research, largely because the Japanese kanji for 10,000 looks a bit like a walking person: 万

Walking is indeed very beneficial for many aspects of health (really: most aspects of health), and health benefits rise sharply when increasing from about 2,000 to 4,000 daily steps and continue improving up to 7,000–8,000 steps, after which additional benefits increase more gradually with diminishing returns; for example, although walking 15,000 steps is indeed generally better than 8,000, the extra health gains beyond about 8,000 steps are relatively small compared with the gains achieved at lower step counts.

For this reason, if you’re regularly getting in step counts in the 6,000–8,000 range, chances are you’re already getting most of the benefits.

So, what’s the promised “instead”?

Walking intensity matters: for most of us, how briskly we walk has a greater effect on health than just increasing the number of steps. For example, a leisurely stroll (lovely as it may be) provides fewer cardiovascular, metabolic, and balance benefits than a brisk walk walked at a moderate intensity.

So: instead of simply walking farther, aim to increase your walking pace to make your exercise more effective. A good goal is to try to accumulate 30 minutes of brisk walking each day, be it as one 30-minute walk, two 15-minute walks, or three 10-minute walks.

And if you really want to get optimal, then the best time to do it is after eating, as this greatly improves blood sugar control and digestion.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Walking… Better.

Take care!