Fewer Steps Needed for Better Health

If you’re not hitting the milestone of 10,000 steps a day, there’s no need to throw in the towel. A new study finds health benefits kick in at a much lower rate. This new perspective may encourage people to get moving.

Walking. It’s the O.G. (Original Gangster) exercise, one that doesn’t require fancy footwork. Fort Myers resident Dan Weston tells WINK News, walking is part of his daily fitness routine. “I hear it’s good for your health, and I do a lot of walking,” Weston said.

For years the benchmark for optimal health was high. Experts advocated 10,000 steps a day. That comes out to roughly five miles. But a Johns Hopkins study sets the pace much lower.

“This idea that you have to get 10,000 steps to see any health benefits isn’t true,” said Patricia Bauer, an assistant professor with Florida Gulf Coast University’s Marieb College of Health and Human Services. She looked at the research that suggests the heart health boost begins with as few as 2,300 steps.

“Two thousand, three hundred is better than zero, and I think that’s kind of the point,” Bauer said. “Every time you go up by about 2,000 over your baseline, you’re going to see some of those better benefits.”

The study goes into more detail, revealing at 4,000 steps, people are less likely to die from any disease, not just cardiovascular disease. Adults over age 60 saw their risk of death reduced by 42% if they walked between 6,000 and 10,000 daily steps.

So what is so special about walking? Turns out, the key is its simplicity. Walking doesn’t require any equipment. It can be done almost anywhere, at any time. It provides a simple way to get the blood pumping, Bauer explains. “The heart and lungs work together to deliver oxygen and nutrients, and the more we move, the more we dilate, the more blood flows like it’s supposed to.”

Dan admits he doesn’t count his steps, but still covers “a couple of miles a day.”

For many of us, 10,000 steps is a distant goal. But any walking inches you one step closer to better health.