Fewer than 5,000 steps a day are enough to boost health

You can talk about health benefits of walking in many ways but one thing that always comes out of any study is that activity is good for heart health. More than 2000 steps a day can help keep your heart healthy but a lot of recent articles suggest walking 4000 steps is needed is that the whole picture?

Recent media reports seem to indicate less is more when it comes to steps but actually health benefits from being more active reduce the risk of all causes of mortality. The flurry of media reports are based on a study but more often then not it is missed that benefits of activity increase all the way up to 20,000 steps as that is the figure they stopped at. So unlike a lot of headlines when it comes to activity then more is actually more, unsurprisingly.

From the study the more steps that anyone does during the day reduces the risk of death from all causes and realistically the benefits can be thought of as starting above 2000 steps but 4000 is when the risk just starts to reduce. The reduction in risk continues to build per extra 1000 steps so that when you are around 10,000 steps per day for younger adults and around 8,000 steps per day for older adults you could be at 20% of the risk of someone who doesn’t do any steps at all.

To help stay healthier for longer people should stay active but there are other activities that people do other than step counting that help people stay healthy often referred to as non-exercise activity

calorie burning. These are small lifestyle changes which help with exercise to help burn calories such as working at a standing desk, fidgeting and changing your posture while sitting. Being more active is an important part of staying healthy coupled with the right diet including an appropriate water intake and good sleep hygiene.

You can talk about health benefits of walking in many ways but one thing that always comes out of any study is that activity is good for heart health. Recent media reports seem to indicate less is more when it comes to steps but actually health benefits from being more active reduce the risk of all causes of mortality.

The flurry of media reports are based on a recent study in the European Journal of Cardiology but more often then not these articles miss that benefits of activity increase all the way up to 20,000 steps as that is the figure they stopped at. So unlike a lot of headlines when it comes to activity then more is actually more, unsurprisingly. Keeping yourself healthy improves plenty of other medical conditions as well as lowering your risk of something else going wrong too.

Getting back to the study the more steps that anyone does during the day reduces the risk of death from all causes and realistically the benefits can be thought of as starting above 2000 steps but 4000 is when the risk just starts to reduce. The reduction in risk continues to build per extra 1000 steps so that when you are around 10,000 steps per day for younger adults and around 8,000 steps per day for older adults you could be at 20% of the risk of someone who doesn’t do any steps at all. Planning time in your day to get steps in like a lunchtime walk can pay dividends and help you get into the zone of more health benefits. You can plan where you are going to walk like to work, a school pick-up, the shops or to visit friends who live nearby. Using public transport can also help you get your steps in as there is often a short walk before and after but if you don’t you could park a little further from your destination.

Walking helps promote good mental health as well as it’s benefit to physical health as it can help reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, reduce stress as well as improve sleep. Lot’s of health conditions are improved by walking such as heart disease, stroke, asthma, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some types of cancer. In older people getting your steps in and getting out for walks help reduce the risk of falls by keeping mobility and muscle strength in lower limbs. There are lots of ways to start walking as part of a social activity too with many walking groups available in local areas where you can walk with friends and you can even use social media to share your steps or walking goals with others.

To help stay healthier for longer people should stay active but there are other activities that people do other than step counting that help people stay healthy often referred to as non-exercise activity calorie burning. These are small lifestyle changes which help with exercise to help burn calories such as working at a standing desk, fidgeting and changing your posture while sitting. Being more active is an important part of staying healthy but it is only part of the picture working well when coupled with the right diet including an appropriate water intake and good sleep hygiene

The study itself: The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis (the-infra.com)