Do You Need 10,000 Steps Every Day?

Exercise. And what is the easiest form of exercise that is accessible to all? Walking. In today’s world, when we think of exercise, we may think of walking and step counts. After all, wearable technology has exploded over recent years and step counts are the center of most apps and fitness targets.

But, are 10,000 steps necessary?

Questions Answered…

In my quest to better understand exercise and health, I dug deeper into this magic 10,000 steps per day recommendation. I will answer the following questions:

• Where did this number come from?
• Is this number based on research?
• Do you need to need to take 10,000 steps per day no matter what?
• How should I think about exercise from now on?

This blog post is my attempt to gather the research, opinions, and the current state of health affairs for you.

So, let’s start with a little history….

History

From several sources (source 1, source 2, source 3), I quickly learned about the origins of the popular 10,000 steps per day recommendation. A Japanese researcher, Y. Hatano, invented a pedometer in 1965. Hatano promoted that 10,000 steps per day was the right amount of exercise to maintain a healthy body.

Not a bad start for the 1960’s! But let’s not forget what the past 50+ years of exercise and nutrition research also taught us!

History Turns Into Recommendations

Now speed up to the 21st century and the U.S. government publishes physical activity guidelines. Again, these guidelines are based on the plethora of research since the invention of the pedometer. Major organizations like the Center for Disease Control, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Sports Medicine incorporate these guidelines into their health campaigns.

These guidelines outline the minimum amount of physical activity that is associated with health benefits.

They are summarized here:

Here is the physical activity cheat sheet for the table:

• Children: Play every day for 60 minutes
• Adults: Exercise for 30 minutes, 5 times a week, and lift weights on 2 of those days
• Seniors: Same as adults, work on your balance too!

The America Heart Association created two wonderful infographics to describe these physical activity guidelines. Check them out: AHA – Adult PA Infographic , AHA – Kids PA Infographic

Translating Guidelines Into Step Counts

Back to the steps. Nothing in the table above, or even the cheat sheet, says anything about step counts! So where does it come from?

10,000 steps per day comes from the addition of two numbers: 7,000 and 3,000

• 7,000 – usual number of steps healthy adults take each day
• 3,000 – additional number of steps needed to meet the above guidelines

General work and household activity combine to help you reach 7,000 steps per day.

But how do these additional 3,000 steps per day factor into physical activity guidelines?

It is easy to think about meeting the 150 minutes of MVPA recommendation as being active for 30 minutes, 5 times per week. By walking an additional 3,000 steps each day meets this 30 minutes of MVPA each day recommendation (the actual math isn’t perfect, but has a few off days built in).

However, there are two caveats with these additional 3,000 steps per day: (a) these steps need be taken in periods of 10 minutes or more, and (b) require a certain intensity (brisk walking; 3 miles per hour or faster).

By adding your typical daily activity of 7,000 steps to the recommendation of taking an additional 3,000 steps leaves with 10,000 steps per day.

An Overemphasis on Step Counts

In general, the 10,000 step day recommendation serves as a prescriptive, simple, and easy-to-remember health rule that many can follow (Tudor-Locke, 2004). Even though I spent considerable time explaining step counts, they only meet part of the physical activity recommendations.

The other piece? Strength Training.

For EVERY age group (children, adults, and seniors), muscle strengthening exercises are also recommended. Step counts are only one way to meet a one of the physical activity guidelines, but not all of them.

Do you need 10,000 steps per day?

Well, it depends.

The key is intensity. Of the activities you engage in each day, are they purposeful and tire you out? Are you lazily shuffling around and getting 11,000 steps per day? Or attacking physically activity one exercise at a time?

Leading researcher, Catrine Tudor-Locke, stated “Rather than be obsessed with a number,” she says, “it’s just important to not be sedentary.” She hits a bullseye with this statement. Whether at work or home, move often.

Keep 3 things is mind when it comes to exercise:

1. What activities do you prefer?
2. How long are these exercises each week?
3. What does the intensity look like?

You may think of yourself as one of two people when it comes to meeting step counts:

Person 1 – Step Warrior

You find yourself active at work and home, engaged in moderate-to-vigorous activities (brisk walking, heavy housework), 10,000 steps are easy to achieve and make up most of your daily activity. So, 10,000 steps serve as a good goal for you. Remember two things:

Remember two things:

• Reserve 30 minutes each for intense walking
• Be sure to strength train 2x/week

Person 2 – Exercise Warrior

You find yourself in more vigorous activities (swimming, climbing, cross-training, weight lifting). By engaging in intense exercise, you meet physical activity guidelines, and the 10,000 step goal may be irrelevant. Remember two things:

Remember two things:

• Acquire 75 minutes each week of your desired intense exercise
• Be sure to strength train 2x/week

A reminder for everyone: Resistance training! WE ALL NEED RESISTANCE TRAINING!

Thriving Versus Surviving

Our modern environment does not naturally create healthy bodies. Hunting and hauling big game is not part of our lives anymore. The only big game I haul is the organic grass-fed beef patties from the cooler to my shopping cart. Much as changed.

Unfortunately, great health just does not happen like it used to. We have to go out of our way each week to eat and move well.

Exercising on a regular basis is difficult. You have to juggle your personal and work life, work through injuries, all the while staying motivated. Being healthy today requires us to be extra effortful.

The effort we put in each week leads us to one question: Are we living to thrive or just survive?

This is a common theme I hear routinely on many strength and conditioning podcasts. Are you doing the minimum amount of work just to get by and survive? Or are you going above and beyond to THRIVE?!?!

Remember, step counts are a start, but are not everything. Didn’t meet your goal? Don’t worry about. The real question is: what did your intensity look like? Most importantly, does your path lead to thriving or surviving?

Again, just to review:

• The more activity the better
• Include strength training, and
• Plan your health because it will not happen otherwise

This article is the first in a 3-article series on exercise and physical activity recommendations.  Stayed tuned for the next post on sitting, standing, and recommendations for each.

Keep moving my friends,

-Nick

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References:

Tudor-Locke, C., & Bassett Jr, D. R. (2004). How many steps/day are enough?. Sports medicine, 34(1), 1-8.

Tudor-Locke et al. (2011). How many steps/day are enough? for adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.