Just like drinking eight glasses of water a day, walking 10,000 steps a day has a chokehold on our psyche. Is there any actual evidence
that we need to take that many steps? Where did this number come from?
Unsurprisingly, the standard of 10,000 steps leading to
better health came not from science, but a marketing campaign. In the 1960s, a
Japanese company, Yamasa Toki, promoting a pedometer, used 10,000 steps because
the Japanese character for 10,000 looks like a person walking. The device was
named the 10,000 step meter or Manpo-Kei.
It’s a nice round number — very catchy — so 10,000 stuck
around, even in America.
When you look at scientific studies on how much activity a person
should get in order to stay healthy, it’s always based on time, not steps. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate
exercise per week. Depending on how long it takes you to walk, it could be
falling within that range, but it varies by person.
The most important thing is
to get moving during the day and get your heart rate up.
Walking is great because it helps reduce so many diseases,
from heart disease to cancer and it is also a great way to reduce anxiety and depression.
It’s lower impact than other cardiovascular exercises, like running, and you
don’t need a special gym or equipment to walk — you just need shoes and space.
Instead of trying to hit that 10,000 step goal, see where in
your day you can add more activity. Even going from 2,000 steps to 4,000 can
have huge benefits. Is there an extra staircase you can climb at work? Can you
walk to your coffee run instead of driving? Walk everyday and also add two days of weight-bearing
exercise per week for bone, joint and muscle health.
TL;DR: Don’t worry about hitting an exact number of steps every
day, because that isn’t based on science. Instead, work on increasing your steps
wherever you can, throughout the day because moving is better than not.