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You've probably heard that you should walk 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy. But this is not really an absolute rule. Research shows that as you age, you may be able to take fewer steps and still reap some important benefits.
For example, if you're over 60, you can almost cut your goal of 10,000 steps in half and still be healthy. "There is no magic number," says Amanda Paluch, a physical activity researcher and assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
benefits of walking
In a major review of research on this question, published in the Lancet Public Health in 2022, scientists found that the risk of premature death decreased as the number of steps taken per day increased. For example, people who walked about 5,800 steps a day had a 40% lower risk of premature death than those who walked less, about 3,600 steps a day.
Getting started, even under 10,000, can have other benefits as well. In another 2022 study, fewer than 4,000 steps per day was associated with a lower risk of dementia. And according to a study of people in their 70s published in the journal BMC Public Health, those who walked 4,500 steps or more a day had a 59% lower risk of developing diabetes than those who were less active. This decrease in risk level has been reduced to 8,000 steps.
Risks for heart disease and cancer appear to follow a similar pattern, with uncertain benefit over 10,000 steps. A high number of steps may also be associated with a lower risk of sleep apnea, reflux, depression and obesity, according to a 2022 study in Nature Medicine.
Step count and age goal
"It's likely that with each passing decade you need fewer steps per day to elicit physiological responses that can benefit health," says Paluch.
Case in point: In the Lancet study, young adults did not experience a significant mortality benefit above 8,000 to 10,000 steps. But for people over 60, the point of diminishing returns is between 6,000 and 8,000 feet. This can be due to a number of physical activities, e.g. For example, walking half a mile may be more strenuous for the average 70-year-old than the average 40-year-old.
make a personal plan
There is no minimum number of steps you should take to improve your health. "It's not an all or nothing situation," Paluch said. "Each increase of 1,000 to 2,000 steps can provide health benefits, especially for those starting at a lower activity level."
To determine your walking goal, start by counting the number of steps you take in a week, says David R. Bassett, a physical activity researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. (Use a simple pedometer or your cell phone.) Then increase your daily average to 500 to 1,000. If you can consistently reach that new number over the course of a week, add another 500 to 1,000 steps.
Continue to increase your daily steps until you are between 6,000 and 8,000 if you are 60 or older, or 8,000 to 10,000 if you are younger.
If you are already at the top of your range, continue. If you feel you can do more, do it. But don't worry if you can't reach a certain goal.
"Do what you feel capable of doing," says Bassett. As you move, you benefit from it.
Copyright 2022, Consumer Reports Inc.
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