In a world increasingly driven by health-conscious choices, it's a scenario we've all encountered: The exasperated sigh, the muttered words, "I'm still 3,000 steps short!"
Ten thousand sounds like a lot. The average person needs between 80 and 150 minutes to reach it, which takes some doing. But do you really need to total so many steps per day to achieve health benefits?
No, according to a new meta-analysis of 17 studies with nearly 227,000 participants. Published by an international team of researchers in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, it confirms what many of us have suspected – or hoped: Health benefits can be had with far fewer steps.
The meta-analysis found that about 4,000 steps a day suffice to lower your overall mortality, and only about 2,400 to lower your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. It also found that the more steps you take, the better.
Dr. Christine Joisten, head of the Department of Physical Activity and Health Promotion at the Cologne-based German Sport University (DSHS), answered some important questions about walking, exercise and health.
Is the 10,000-step benchmark nonsense?
"Actually not, because there are also analyses that show the goal of 10,000 steps a day to be an important predictor for success, specifically for lowering blood pressure and the body mass index (BMI)," Joisten said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that most adults aim for 10,000 steps per day for general fitness.
"In fact," noted Joisten, "the 10,000 steps come from a Japanese marketing campaign" for a pedometer ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The Japanese character for 10,000 looks rather like a person walking.
Why should you exercise regularly anyway?
"Physical activity in general – in your everyday life, at your job and in your leisure time – helps prevent lifestyle and non-communicable diseases," Joisten said.
Among them are cancer and cardiovascular diseases, including risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Exercise also helps guard against orthopedic, rheumatic and mental disorders, she explained.
"It benefits people with a chronic illness too, mainly by improving their quality of life."
What kinds of exercise can keep you healthy and boost physical fitness?
"Any form of physical activity suitable for your state of health is good," Joisten said. She recommends dancing, strength training with resistance bands or light weights, yoga or garden work.
How can you get sufficient exercise if you have a sedentary job, be it in an office or working from home?
The answer is simple: By physically exerting yourself in some way. Experts advise that you change your position at least once an hour and do little exercises, for example, deep knee bends or using bottles of mineral water as dumbbells. And here's a no-brainer: taking the stairs instead of the lift.
Are fitness trackers and apps really useful?
"I personally think a lot of them because they make exercise (achievements) visible" and thereby serve as motivation, said Joisten, adding: "Some people are frustrated if they don't reach their goals though."
Even minor gains count. "Small increases of 500 to 1,000 steps a day in particular – that's five to 10 minutes – can be easily realized," she said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults aged 18-64 years do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a week, or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, plus muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.
The same goes for adults aged 65 years and above, supplemented with exercises that emphasize balance and coordination.
