To everyone that’s been following the 10K steps/day philosophy: there may be a better way.
There’s significant research that shows the quantity of daily steps isn’t as important of a consideration as quality and consistency of steps. It seems that more heart benefit is achieved by getting in a 15–20-minute continuous walk, independent of the day’s total amount of steps.
Consider these data points from the most prominent recent study on the issue, covering an 8-year observation period:
- The risk of death dropped from 5% for the 5-minute walkers to under 1% for those walking 15-20 minutes.
- The risk of a heart attack or stroke dropped from 13% for the 5-minute walkers to under 4% for those walking 15-20 minutes.
- Here’s what you can do with this information:
- If you’re not someone getting in 10K steps a day, focus on 1 or 2 walks lasting 15-20 minutes each.
- If you are someone getting in 10K steps a day, you’re better off doing so by including walks lasting 15-20 minutes each. Remember every level of cardiac activity (short of straining the heart) produces benefit to the heart.
- Even when covering the same total number of steps, longer, uninterrupted walks appear to provide greater benefits for the heart than short, scattered strolls throughout the day.
This is not meant to be an either/or conversation. Consider the merits of what you’re able to do and move (pun intended) accordingly!