We are often told that we should aim for 10000 steps a day, but do you know where this figure came from? Amazingly, it wasn’t through scientific research. In fact, it came from a marketing campaign out of Japan in the 1960’s.
Following on from the success of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a company in Japan came up with the first pedometer. The name of the device (Manpo-Kei) translates to ‘the 10000-step meter’. Also, the Japanese symbol for 10,000 happens to look like a person walking.
This is where the 10,000 step goal originally came from and it has become more and more popular in recent years.
So, if the 10000-step goal is not based on science, how much do we need? Let’s look at a recent study.
A meta-analysis of 15 studies published in The Lancet in March 2022 tried to figure out what step figure we should aim for.
The research investigated the effect of daily steps on all-cause mortality and included nearly 50000 people.
What they found was that there was an incremental reduction in risk as steps increase, until the benefit begun to level off. This levelling off was different for different age groups.
Interestingly, they found no association with walking speed. Simply going out and walking faster didn’t make a big difference.
Another interesting finding was that when looking at all the people involved in the study, those people who were getting in more steps a day (averaging more than 5800 steps a day) had a 40-53% lower risk of death compared to people who were averaging fewer steps. Interesting hey?
What to make of this research
I believe these guides should be the lower limit to aim for. If you are over 60 years of age, aim for a minimum of 6-8,000 steps per day. If you are under 60, aim for a minimum of 8 -10,000 steps a day.
Also, if you are not doing much walking at all, hopefully research like this will give you a little motivation to start. Amanda Paulch, an epidemiologist who led the study said "The major takeaway is there's a lot of evidence suggesting that moving even a little more is beneficial, particularly for those who are doing very little activity".
If you want to try to hit the well-known 10,000 steps a day mark, fantastic, keep doing it. Don’t think that you are wasting your time or should just stop at the numbers shown here.
This research suggested that the reduction in risk of all-cause mortality levelled off at the numbers above, but I am sure there could be other benefits to be gained from walking more, or you may have a different goal. For example, if you are walking to help with weight loss, walking more may be beneficial for you.
I hope you have enjoyed finding out about the real reason behind the 10,000 steps a day goal, and if you are into your walking, let me know in the comments below if you have a step goal each day.
I will finish this blog with my new favourite quote from Carrie Latet, “Walking. The most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise”.
References
Following on from the success of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a company in Japan came up with the first pedometer. The name of the device (Manpo-Kei) translates to ‘the 10000-step meter’. Also, the Japanese symbol for 10,000 happens to look like a person walking.
This is where the 10,000 step goal originally came from and it has become more and more popular in recent years.
So, if the 10000-step goal is not based on science, how much do we need? Let’s look at a recent study.
A meta-analysis of 15 studies published in The Lancet in March 2022 tried to figure out what step figure we should aim for.
The research investigated the effect of daily steps on all-cause mortality and included nearly 50000 people.
What they found was that there was an incremental reduction in risk as steps increase, until the benefit begun to level off. This levelling off was different for different age groups.
- For adults 60 and older, the risk of premature death levelled off at about 6,000-8,000 steps per day.
- Adults less than 60, saw the risk of premature death level off at about 8,000-10,000 steps per day.
Interestingly, they found no association with walking speed. Simply going out and walking faster didn’t make a big difference.
Another interesting finding was that when looking at all the people involved in the study, those people who were getting in more steps a day (averaging more than 5800 steps a day) had a 40-53% lower risk of death compared to people who were averaging fewer steps. Interesting hey?
What to make of this research
I believe these guides should be the lower limit to aim for. If you are over 60 years of age, aim for a minimum of 6-8,000 steps per day. If you are under 60, aim for a minimum of 8 -10,000 steps a day.
Also, if you are not doing much walking at all, hopefully research like this will give you a little motivation to start. Amanda Paulch, an epidemiologist who led the study said "The major takeaway is there's a lot of evidence suggesting that moving even a little more is beneficial, particularly for those who are doing very little activity".
If you want to try to hit the well-known 10,000 steps a day mark, fantastic, keep doing it. Don’t think that you are wasting your time or should just stop at the numbers shown here.
This research suggested that the reduction in risk of all-cause mortality levelled off at the numbers above, but I am sure there could be other benefits to be gained from walking more, or you may have a different goal. For example, if you are walking to help with weight loss, walking more may be beneficial for you.
I hope you have enjoyed finding out about the real reason behind the 10,000 steps a day goal, and if you are into your walking, let me know in the comments below if you have a step goal each day.
I will finish this blog with my new favourite quote from Carrie Latet, “Walking. The most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise”.
References
- https://mywalktracker.com/the-magic-of-10000-steps/
- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/sep/03/watch-your-step-why-the-10000-daily-goal-is-built-on-bad-science
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(21)00302-9/fulltext
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220303112207.htm
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