You may not need 10,000 steps to get health benefits from walking

If you’re watching your daily step count, you may be overlooking another important part of the equation: your pace.

Taking fewer steps at a faster pace may be associated with a similar reduction in the risk of early death as getting in more steps at a slower pace, according to a study published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The often-cited goal of 10,000 steps a day didn’t come from a specific scientific finding, said study coauthor Emmanuel Stamatakis, professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at Monash University in Melbourne. Rather, the target dates back to a 1960s Japanese pedometer campaign, he noted.

For some people, 10,000 steps can seem daunting and dissuade them from trying to start exercising.

To “a 65-year-old managing a knee, a carer with fragmented time, or a shift worker, that number can feel less like a goal and more like a reason to give up,” Stamatakis said in an email.

You may not need 10,000 steps to get health benefits from walking | CNN

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