Walking is arguably the easiest and most accessible form of physical activity that does not require any special equipment or gym membership, and can be done at any time of day. Several studies have been done that suggest anywhere from 4000 to 10,000 steps as being the optimal amount; some of them have even found that pace is just as important as count. This study, published in The Lancet Public Health, suggests that 7,000 is the sweet spot to cut your risk of death by almost half.
This sweeping global review of 57 studies led by the University of Sydney suggests that walking 7,000 steps a day may be as effective as the much-hyped count of 10,000 a day when it comes to reducing the risk of disease and premature death. The analysis revealed that achieving 7,000 steps a day reduced the risk of dying early by 47% and carries substantial benefits across heart health, depression, dementia, and more. But that’s not all, walking between a 2,000 and 4,000 count every day was even found to promote measurable improvements.
A More Achievable Benchmark
This comprehensive review may redefine what it means for millions of people walking for health, what it means to move more, and move enough, offering a more achievable benchmark for those who struggle to meet the traditional exercise guidelines and 10,000 count a day benchmark.
“Aiming for 7000 steps is a realistic goal based on our findings, which assessed health outcomes in a range of areas that hadn’t been looked at before,” said Professor Melody Ding from the School of Public Health.
“However, for those who cannot yet achieve 7000 steps a day, even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2000 to 4000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain.”
“We know daily step count is linked to living longer, but we now also have evidence that walking at least 7000 steps a day can significantly improve eight major health outcomes — including reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and depressive symptoms.”
Benefits At Different Steps
Starting at a count of 2,000, the researchers compared the health outcomes of those walking more steps each day at 1000-step increments to investigate whether there was any difference in the risk of early death or major diseases.
When compared with a walking count of 2,000 per day, a walking count of 7000 a day reduced the risk of death by 47%, which was almost identical to the benefit seen at a walking count of 10,000 per day. Dementia risk reduced by 38% from walking 7000 steps a day, with only a 7% extra reduction at 10,000 steps. The risk of type 2 diabetes decreased by 22% from walking 10,000 steps a day and reduced to 27% at 12,000 steps. Significant health improvements were seen when people increased their average daily steps from 2000 to between 5000 and 7000 steps.
“For people who are already active, 10,000 steps a day is great,” said Dr Katherine Owen, co-author and chief analyst of the study from the School of Public Health. “But beyond 7000 steps, the extra benefits for most of the health outcomes we looked at were modest.”
“Our research helps to shift the focus from perfection to progress. Even small increases in daily movement can lead to meaningful health improvements,” said Professor Ding.
The researchers suggest that additional studies should explore how step goals could vary based on age, health status, and region that includes a diverse population and long-term data to strengthen the growing body of evidence. This kind of detail would be very useful for practitioners when tailoring interventions and advice for patients.
This article was created at the WHN News Desk.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN neither agrees nor disagrees with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
