How many steps should you walk each day?

Walking is a simple, low-impact, moderate-intensity exercise that can be done "anytime, anywhere". In particular, this subject brings health benefits that are no less than other exercises but with less risk.

However, there is a question: "How many steps should I take each day to achieve maximum benefits?". To get the answer, you can learn in this article.

How many steps should you walk each day?

Below are suggestions for the number of steps people should take during the day for goals such as promoting overall health, helping with weight loss, improving fitness levels and by age.

1. How many steps do you need to take to improve overall health?

The CDC recommends that most adults aim to walk up to 10,000 steps a day – a distance equivalent to about 5 miles – to help promote overall health.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, walking can improve:

- Muscle strength

- Range of motion

- Blood flow

- Increase flexibility

- Balance, which can help prevent falls

- Stiffness

- Good for mood and sleep

- Good for the respiratory system

Walking may also help improve or prevent certain health conditions, such as obesity, osteoporosis, and age-related memory loss.

The benefits of walking appear to increase with the number of steps. A 2020 study found that participants who took 8,000 steps per day had a 51% lower risk of death from any cause than those who took 4,000 steps per day.

Participants who took 12,000 steps per day had a 65% lower risk of death than those who took 4,000 steps.

This finding shows that the benefits of walking increase with the number of steps but also shows that people who cannot reach 10,000 steps in a day can still benefit from this activity.

2. How many steps do you need to take to lose weight?

The number of steps needed to lose weight can vary depending on a person's current weight, food intake, and goal weight.

One study found that taking at least 15,000 steps a day may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, which often includes obesity. However, reaching 10,000 steps can also help you lose weight and improve your mood.

3. How many steps do you need to take to improve your fitness level?

To improve your fitness level, you need to know how many steps you currently take on average in a day. You should aim for 500–1,000 steps above your current average and try to maintain this slight increase for 1–2 weeks or until you feel comfortable with the increase.

Next, increase again and repeat the process until you reach your goal number of steps, perhaps 10,000 steps per day.

Additionally, if a person wants to walk as a way to improve their strength, flexibility or stamina, they may also benefit from more intense forms of walking.

For example, walking uphill activates three times as many muscle fibers as walking on a flat surface. You can also use some other ways to get more cardiovascular benefits from walking and increase muscle strength including:

- Climbing stairs

- Step up and down on the stool

- Walk briskly for long periods of time

- Focus on distant objects, can increase walking speed up to 23%

4. How many steps do children and the elderly need to take?

The CDC notes that children, teens, and older adults will have different limits on how many steps they take per day.

- Children 3-5 years old : There is no specific number of steps per day for children in this age group, but children should participate in active play activities all day.

- Children aged 6–17 years : During this age group should do aerobic and strength training for at least 60 minutes a day. A 2012 study estimated that this equates to 11,290–12,512 steps.

Therefore, 12,000 steps may be a useful goal for children this age. However, to meet CDC recommendations, the activity needs to be moderate to vigorous intensity for at least 1 hour.

- Seniors : Older adults can aim for the same number of steps as younger adults. However, if their health makes it impossible, lower step counts can still provide significant benefits.

A large 2019 study involving older women found that participants who walked 4,400 steps per day had a lower mortality rate after 4.3 years than those who walked only 2,700 steps per day.

Notably, in this study, participants leveled off at about 7,500 steps per day. This shows that seniors can aim for between 7,000-8,000 steps per day.

Tips to help you go more every day

Each person will have different lifestyles and activities. However, you can also refer to a few suggestions below to increase the intensity of your daily walk:

- Set a goal to walk at least 30-60 minutes every day

- Take the stairs instead of using the elevator or escalator

- Walk when going to the market or shopping

- If you work in an office, every hour you should walk around the work area for about 5 minutes.

- In the evening, take a walk with your family or pets