Field notes · Heart and cardio
How many steps a day do you really need?
Ten thousand steps started as a marketing number for a pedometer. The research since then is more useful, and more forgiving.
Dai Manuel · Coach Moose · Vancouver
What the research found
A large 2022 analysis of step studies found that more daily steps were linked with a lower risk of dying early, with the benefit levelling off around 8,000 to 10,000 steps for adults under 60 and 6,000 to 8,000 for adults over 60. Every extra thousand steps helped, especially for people starting low.
How to get there
Walk for ten minutes after each meal. Take calls on your feet. Park at the far end. Walk the kids to school. Replace one screen evening a week with a family walk. Most dads find an extra 3,000 steps without adding a single workout.
Start from your number
Check your average for a week, then add a thousand a day. When that is normal, add another. Steps are the simplest habit in the book, and one of the most powerful.
Common questions
- Do I really need 10,000 steps a day?
- Research suggests the benefit levels off around 8,000 to 10,000 steps for adults under 60 and 6,000 to 8,000 for adults over 60. Any increase from a low baseline helps.
- Do steps count as exercise?
- Brisk walking counts toward the 150 weekly minutes of moderate activity recommended in Canada's guidelines. Strength training is still needed separately.
Sources
- Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. Paluch et al., The Lancet Public Health, 2022.