Fortune Well October 29, 2023
Lifestyle
How many steps should you rack up per day for optimal health? Recommendations vary widely, making any answer seem like a shot in the dark, at best.
A new international study published Thursday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology offers some more concrete advice, with a twist.
Your number of daily steps matter, the authors say—but so does your pace. Researchers found that walking faster was associated with a reduced risk of death, regardless of the number of steps taken per day.
That makes sense, they say, because moderate-to-vigorous exercise is considered to be the most beneficial when it comes to cardiovascular health. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week for most adults, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity.
The new study isn’t the first to find that the faster one walks, the more health benefits the person should expect. A 2022 U.K.-based study found that the more steps a day, up to around 10,000, the lower one’s risk of dementia, and that walking quickly might lower dementia risk as well.
And a 2022 Brazil-based study found that the greater the number of daily steps—and the quicker the pace of those steps—the less likely someone was to suffer from arterial stiffness.
Walking at a pace of around 100 steps/minute, 30 minutes a day, five days a week would meet the weekly requirements for moderate exercise for older adults, Brazilian researchers stated. A 2011 international study echoed these findings, stating that 100 steps per minute equated moderate physical activity.
In the new international study, researchers from the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.S. examined data from 12 studies involving a total of more than 111,000 participants. Among their findings:
According to popular wisdom, 10,000 is the ideal number of steps to net per day. The advice originated from Japan in the 1960s, the study’s authors wrote, but there’s no data to back it up.
Other studies have offered similar recommendations, including:
The research comes as scientists begin to realize the full weight of the pandemic in terms of long-lasting health effects on society. The number of steps people take each day plummeted during the early days of COVID-19—and they have yet to recover, according to a study published earlier this year.
Researchers with Vanderbilt University examined the daily step patterns of nearly 5,500 people for two years before the pandemic and nearly two years into it. They found that, on average, study participants took about 700 fewer steps per day after the pandemic—equivalent to about a third of a mile less each day.
Pre-pandemic steps were around 7,808 a day. Steps after COVID hovered around 7,089.
The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day, or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic. Those who take less than 5,000 steps a day are considered sedentary, according to researchers at Vanderbilt.
There is no such thing as too many steps, according to the international research team behind the new article.
“Our study showed that even as many as 16,000 steps a day does not pose a risk,” coauthor Francisco Ortega—a sports science instructor at the University of Granada in Spain—said in a news release on the new study. Additional risk reduction becomes marginal beyond 10,000 steps, however.
But those who are already comfortably hitting 10,000 steps a day should consider a higher daily step goal, according to Mayo experts. For those who haven’t hit 10,000 daily steps, they recommend working up to the goal by adding 1,000 extra steps each day for two weeks before raising their goal again.
If you’re looking to sneak some extra steps into your day, here are a few easy ways, according to the America on the Move Foundation:
• Walk to get the mail, and circle around the block an extra time when you do.
• Chat about the day with loved ones on an after-dinner walk.
• Take an energizing stroll before your morning commute.
• Start an office walking club.
• Volunteer to walk dogs for an animal shelter.
• Take the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator.
• Exit the bus a couple of stops early and walk the rest of the way.
• Play a round of golf, minus the cart.
• Swim laps at a pool.
• Go dancing at a club.
• Join a volleyball team, indoor or outdoor.
• Pick up a tennis match.
• Go ice skating at a local rink.
• Park as far away as you can in parking lots.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Buyer
September 7, 2024
This week, our Tech Trends round-up features new tools designed to improve the flow of information within the real estate environment.
Buyer
September 7, 2024
The number of homes actively for sale grew by 35.8% year-over-year in August, according to data from Realtor.com
Buyer
September 6, 2024
Mortgage rates remained flat in the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey published by Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC).
Buyer
September 6, 2024
Luxury living is about more than just stunning views and cutting-edge smart home technology—it's about elevating your lifestyle.
Lifestyle
September 5, 2024
Get there first.
Buyer
September 5, 2024
Mortgage application activity ended August on the rise, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) covering the week ending Aug. 30.
We Guide Homeowners through the complicated process of selling their home using our 4 Phase Selling Process and 3 Prong Marketing Strategy that alleviates their stress and moves them effortlessly to their next destination. Schedule a 15 Minute Complimentary Strategy Session Today