Is 10,000 daily steps the standard to improve your health?

Why 10,000 steps may not be a one-size- fits-all recommendation…

How many steps should you get each day?

How do daily steps and movement impact your health outcomes?

Do you need to get 10,000 steps a day?

You will find that many health professionals recommend 10,000 steps daily as a health marker or habit for most adults to hit daily whether they have fat loss goals or just want to live a healthy lifestyle. In addition, wearable technologies such as smart phones that can track your steps often recommend a goal of 10,000 daily to improve your health

But why is 10,000 touted as the magic number?

The average number of steps for the U.S. population falls between 4,000 and 5,000 steps a day. Sedentary people may get 2,000 steps a day or less. Research suggests that there is a lower risk of mortality for those who take around 4,400 daily steps by 41%. There was a study conducted to measure how many steps were needed to gain health benefits, and the study indicated that after about 7,500 steps the lowered risk of mortality leveled off.

The overall body of research indicates that if you increase your step goal from whatever it is now, you are improving your health. If you are currently averaging 3,000 steps a day and you continue to increase your step count to 4,000, you are improving your health outcomes. If 10,000 daily steps sounds daunting, you can be rest assured that even a modest increase in your current steps is tied to significantly lower mortality.

Here are some tips for increasing your daily step count:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator

• Walk around while talking on the phone

• Choose a parking spot far from the entrance

• Build in breaks during your work day to walk around

• Have a family dance party

• Do some cleaning around the house daily

Let’s get moving!

In Health,

Sharifa

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