How many steps do you need to take a day to be healthy, according to science?

It is widely believed throughout the world that the number middle steps that a person needs to gain daily is about 10,000 steps. This has been established through smartphones and educational apps, but the truth is that this figure originated from an old advertising campaign and not from a true healthcare goal.

The fact is that the Japanese company Yamasa Clock and Instrument Company regarding Olympic Games in Tokyo 1964.released to the market first pedometer stories. This device for quantitatively counting the number of steps was called Manpo-kei, which translates as “10,000 steps” in Japanese.

And while this figure has since become a target to achieve in the field of physical activity and health, the truth is that it lacks any empirical basis.

Thus, over the past decade, science has invested effort in investigating and assessing the relationship between the number of daily steps and health/disease variables such as the risk of premature death.

“People benefit from dividing up the time they spend sitting, being active, etc., so I wouldn’t recommend aiming for 20,000 steps a day,” he said. Lindsay BottomsProfessor of Exercise Physiology and Health University of Hertfordshire in the UK in a recent interview with Newsweek. In her words, “to achieve a reasonable target for people, it needs to be much smaller; Otherwise it will be demoralizing because it will be unattainable.”

In this sense, he argued that “research has repeatedly shown that the risk of all-cause mortality and the incidence of cardiovascular disease do not improve even after approximately 7500 to 8500 steps” However, several studies have also shown that about 4400 steps may lead to a reduction in mortality among women over a period of time.

In August 2023, researchers analyzed 17 studies that looked at how many steps people took, usually over the course of a week, and tracked their health for about seven years. They concluded that walking just under 4,000 steps a day reduced the risk of death from any cause, including cardiovascular disease.

This translates to 30 to 45 minutes walkor about three kilometers, although this varies from one person to another, depending on Seth Shay Martin, cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and author of the study. But the more steps taken, the better: the risk of mortality decreased by 15 percent for every additional 1,000 steps participants took.

“That’s the best medicine we can recommend: just taking a walk,” he said. Randal Thomasspecialist in preventive cardiology Mayo Clinic who did not participate in the study.

Although the question about how many steps are needed to improve health is difficult to answer, recent research has suggested an optimal amount that produces the greatest benefit for most people.

A recent study conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature and meta-analysis of 12 international studies involving more than 110,000 participants. The results showed that the greatest reduction in the risk of premature death was achieved by walking about 9,000 steps a day (equivalent to about 6.5 kilometers), a 60% lower risk compared to the control of 2,000.

Focusing on the likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease, the researchers found that The greatest benefits occur when you accumulate approximately 7,000 steps. (58% less risk compared to those mentioned in 2000).

Moreover, these findings are consistent with other recent studies showing that most health benefits are achieved when less than 10,000 steps per day.

Despite this calculation, we should not consider 7,000 and 9,000 steps to be magic numbers and a common goal for the entire society. Ideal quantity depends on factors such as age, physical condition, personal goals and physical limitations.

As can be seen, most of the major medical institutions such as American Heart Association (AHA), they generally recommend taking about 10,000 steps a day to have good health. However, Some studies suggest that 20,000 steps newspapers provide Additional benefits:

One study found that women who walked more than 19,000 steps a day had BMI and percentage of body fat lower than those that gave 10,000 or less. In another study, men who averaged more than 15,000 steps per day had significantly lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels than men who walked fewer than 5,000 steps.

Research shows that once you exceed 10,000–12,000 steps per dayyou continue to burn more and more calories, and going from 10,000 to 20,000 steps burns about 400 additional calories.

So while 10,000 steps a day is good, 20,000 steps seems to increase the benefit.. Although experts warn that this could lead to overtraining and increase the risk of injury. Moreover, walking for more than two hours every day requires a lot of dedication and can eventually lead to fatigue.

On the other hand, experts noted that the extra 400 calories burned in 10,000 to 20,000 steps must come from somewhere. Hunger and food intake naturally increase to compensate for the significantly higher caloric expenditure, and if not addressed, they can cancel out burning calories I eat more.

Finally, research shows that the health and fitness benefits begin to wane after about 10,000 to 15,000 steps. While 20,000 steps is still useful, you will benefit more up to 10,000–15,000 steps compared to going beyond that.

Walk This is a form of exercise that is accessible to most people. No special equipment other than suitable walking shoes is required. And there’s no need to buy an expensive gym membership.

However, walking as a regular physical activity can help. reduce your risk of these health problems general:

• Heart disease
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Depression

In this sense, according to Department of Health and Human Services USA, it is advisable to practice 150 minutes of training per week moderate, like a brisk walk. But you don’t have to start from scratch with a 150-minute goal.

Gradually increasing your activity week by week will be enough to reap the benefits of exercise.

These 150 minutes per week can be divided in different ways. Some people aim to exercise for 30 minutes five days a week. Others do the exercises for 10 minutes several times a day.

And even if your walking pace isn’t fast enough to qualify as moderate-intensity exercise, it can still help prevent problems that arise from sitting too much during the day.