When we talk about steps, we generally imagine the walking action. However, we give them with any activity that involves moving on foot, such as walking, running and a wide variety of physical activities.
Therefore, the log of steps taken during the day and week is used as an indicator of the level of our physical activity. And here the question arises: How many do we need to add to improve our health?
Worldwide, the average number of steps accumulated dailyaccording to data collected using smartphones, it is out and about 5,000 per day. However, we all have the idyllic figure of 10,000 in mind. This goal has been perpetuated by the media and is often used as the default in software programs on portable devices and smartphones.
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The truth is that the figure originates from a Japanese advertising campaign created by the Yamasa Clock and Instrument Company which, taking advantage of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, launched the first pedometer in history on the market. This device for quantifying the number of steps was called Manpo-kei, which in Japanese means “10,000 step meter”.
Since then, that number has become an iconic goal in the field of physical activity and health, without any empirical basis. Fortunately, the scientific community, especially in the last decade, has invested efforts in investigating and evaluating the relationship between the number of daily steps and variables indicative of health/disease, such as the risk of dying prematurely.
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The optimal number
Although it is difficult to answer the question of how many steps are needed to improve our health, a recent study by our team proposes the optimal number that achieves the greatest benefits for most people.
In this research we carried out a systematic review of the scientific literature and a meta-analysis of data from twelve international studies involving more than 110,000 participants. The findings indicate that most of the reduction in risk of premature death is achieved by taking about 9,000 steps per day (equivalent to about 6.5 kilometers), which is a 60% lower risk than the baseline value of 2,000.
And if we focus on the chances of dying from cardiovascular disease, most of the benefits are observed by accumulating around 7,000 steps (58% lower risk compared to the 2,000 mentioned above). Additionally, these findings are consistent with other recent studies showing that most health benefits are achieved with fewer than 10,000 steps per day.
Despite this calculation, we should not consider 7,000 and 9,000 steps as magical figures and a common goal for the whole society. The ideal amount depends on factors such as age, physical condition, personal goals and physical limitations. In fact, the most important finding of our study is what is known as the “dose-response matrix,” which can be used to set our personalized goals. But what does it consist of?
We have created a table that shows, given a different number of daily steps, how many additional benefits can be obtained in terms of reducing the risk of premature mortality for every 1,000 more. This indicates, for example, that a person who normally takes 3,000 steps a day would achieve a 15% reduction in mortality risk by adding an additional thousand steps a day, the equivalent of about ten minutes of walking.
The table therefore allows you to establish individual and specific objectives for each person, so that you can progress little by little.
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A gradual improvement
Incorporating more vigorous walks into our daily routine, considering both quantity and intensity, can be equally beneficial to our health and well-being.
The benefits associated with modest increases in the number of daily steps are great news, since not everyone can add 9,000 every day – or, at least, not from the start – so you could set small, achievable goals and progressively increase the number .
And what happens if I take more than 7,000-9,000 steps a day? Can it be harmful? No, exceeding these figures does not involve any risk, on the contrary. Our study also showed that those who took 16,000 steps a day achieved an even greater risk reduction than those who stayed between 7,000 and 9,000, although the differences and additional benefits were small.
Setting achievable goals and tracking your physical activity through devices like cell phones or smartwatches can be a great way to stay motivated and gradually improve your health through walking.
But focusing only on the number of daily steps prevents us from considering another crucial aspect linked to the activity of walking: the speed or intensity with which we move. Another relevant finding from our study is that cadence – that is, the number of steps accumulated per minute – is also associated with a reduction in mortality risk, regardless of the total number of steps per day.
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In general, walking at a pace of 100 steps per minute can be classified as a moderate intensity activity, while walking at 130 is a vigorous activity. Therefore, beyond the number of steps, incorporating more vigorous walking into our daily routine, considering both quantity and intensity, can be equally beneficial to our health and well-being.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, stated more than 25 centuries ago: “Walking is the best medicine for human beings”. We cannot guarantee that it is the best, but there is no doubt that it is an activity accessible to all audiences and with a huge impact on our health.
If the motto of the World Health Organization in its latest recommendations on physical activity in 2020 was “every movement counts”, the final message that emerges from this meta-analysis is that “every step counts”. Small increases in daily step volume, especially when physical activity levels are low, are associated with important health benefits.
And finally, it is also important to remember that accumulating steps faster, i.e. carrying out more intense physical activity, has additional health benefits, as has been demonstrated in our work.
2024-01-07 01:23:33
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