❗While 10,000 steps is a well-known fitness goal, & walking can lead to positive health changes including improved body composition (potentially losing weight & waist circumference), better blood pressure & cholesterol levels, improved mood & thinking ability, science suggests it’s not quite as simple as that.
😲 Some studies indicate that you might achieve most health benefits with fewer steps, possibly around 8,000; intensity matters, too.
🎯 So, focusing on more meaningful exercise guidelines such as the recommendation of roughly 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week might be more helpful in boosting your health.
👣 You might be able to achieve this by stepping up the intensity, for example. Walking at a brisk pace counts as moderate-intensity activity.
👪 Getting your family or friends involved or participating in community-based programmes can make it easier to step up intensity, too.
🛼Is walking not your thing? Other moderate-intensity activities include in-line skating, canoeing, rock climbing & many more.
🐦There are even tables you can look up online that summarise a whole lot of research about roughly how much energy specific activities require – see link below. These are very detailed & include things like specific types of swimming & bird watching!
⌚For all of these, using a type of tracking method is a good idea. This may be a pedometer app (make sure you look at the approximate intensity of the activity that it displays for you, not just the total step count), but could also be a simple pen & paper journal or your favourite smartwatch or fitness tracker.
🏋Finally, don’t forget (& if you are working with me you will already be very familiar with this), moderate-intensity activity is essential, but so is challenging your body & mind at least twice a week to lift heavy.
If you are keen to learn more about this or other topics related to brain and body health, follow me or subscribe to the blogpost. To work with me one-on-one to apply some of these principles to your own life and movement, message me for a free call. I look forward to hearing from you.
More resources (no paid partnerships or sponsorship)
- ACSM guidelines
- Compendium of Physical Activities
- Free pedometer app: Android; Apple
References (for the extra keen)
Ainsworth et al. (2024)
Choi et al (2007)
Hermann et al. (2024)