It is a popular belief that 10,000 steps a day are what you need to stay fit and healthy – but a new study shows fewer than 5,000 steps is enough to see a benefit.
According to World Health Organization data, insufficient physical activity is responsible for 3.2 million deaths each year – the fourth most frequent cause worldwide.
The new study analyzed 226,000 people around the world and showed 4,000 steps were enough to start reducing the risk of dying prematurely of any cause. While just over 2,300 steps are enough to benefit the heart and blood vessels. According to the researchers, the more walks you do, the more health benefits are seen. However, the biggest benefits were seen among people under-60 years old.
Every extra 1,000 steps beyond the 4,000 steps reduced the risk of dying early by 15% up to 20,000 steps.
The team from the Medical University of Lodz in Poland and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US found that walking benefits applied to all genders and ages, regardless of where they lived.
“I believe we should always emphasize that lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, which was a main hero of our analysis, might be at least as, or even more, effective in reducing cardiovascular risk and prolonging lives,” he said.
A personal trainer’s top tips for walking per BBC
- Walk to the station rather than going by bus or car
- If you work at a desk, set hourly reminders to get up and move around
- If you are pregnant, walking is the best kind of exercise to do
- Take a daily 30-minute walk listening to a podcast
- Walk with friends in a park or forest trails and walk the dog if you have one
- Start small – a 10-minute walk from the station to the office can easily build up to a 20-minute stroll in the park and finally a 30-minute walk around town
