How many steps a day should I walk for my heart health?

How many steps a day is the ‘right’ amount?

You might have come across the idea that 10,000 steps a day is the magic number. Many smartphone and wearable step counters are automatically set to this target. But the story behind this figure might surprise you.

The idea of 10,000 steps a day traces back to a marketing campaign launched by a step counter company during the 1964 Olympics in Japan. This number was picked because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) looks like a person walking.

Despite its marketing origins, the idea caught on and many scientific studies have looked at the health benefits of 10,000 steps a day. Research has linked it to a reduced risk of developing dementia, cancer and heart and circulatory diseases, as well as having mental health benefits.

How many miles is 10,000 steps?

Depending on the length of your stride, 10,000 steps is almost five miles or eight kilometres. It would take most people between one to two hours to walk 10,000 steps, if they did it in one go. Walking 10,000 steps burns between 300 to 800 calories, depending on your weight and height.

Should we all be aiming for this? The most comprehensive research to date, published last year in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology looked at 17 previous studies involving over 200,000 people. It found that as few as 2,337 steps a day started to lessen the risk of dying from heart and circulatory diseases, while at least 3,867 steps reduced the risk of dying from any cause.

Above this amount, the researchers found that every extra 1,000 steps a day was linked with a 15 per cent reduction in the risk of dying. For people aged 60 and over, the biggest improvement in health was seen in people taking 6,000 to 10,000 steps, after which the benefits tailed off. For younger ages, it was between 7,000 and 13,000 steps.

Another recent large-scale study suggested that how fast you walk could be just as important as how far.

What should we take away from the research?

Everyone is different and the amount of physical activity needed for good health will vary.

If 10,000 steps a day is well above what you typically do (and that’s the case for most of us), you’re better off starting with a more realistic target, such as 1,000 steps more than you’re currently doing.

That way you’re more likely to stick with it and build from there. After all, the science shows even small gains in step count make a big difference.

To boost the health benefits, aim to walk at a brisk pace, meaning you can talk comfortably but would be too out of breath to sing.

What to read next...