Movement is good for you, and walking is one of the most accessible forms of movement there is. You don’t need a gym membership, shiny new running shoes or any other expensive equipment to do it – just leave the house and put one foot in front of the other.
The return on investment for doing so is vast. Sure, there are surface-level impacts such as increased calorie burn to aid weight management. But you’re also likely to experience a boost in your mood and improved heart health, among other perks.
As a fitness writer and an active person, it’s this second group of benefits that persuaded me to start walking 10,000 steps a day – a habit I enjoyed so much I’ve stuck with it for the last three years.
But why 10,000? This common fitness goal is arbitrary, scientifically, and stems from the marketing campaign for a 1960s Japanese pedometer called the manpo-kei (which roughly translates as “10,000-step metre”). Its main selling point is that it’s a nice round number, with a 2023 University of Granada study claiming 8,000 is “the optimal number of steps at which most people obtain the greatest benefits”.
In spite of this, I’ve found the five-figure step target works for me. Here’s why.
Five reasons why I walk 10,000 steps per day
It improves my mood
Why does anyone form a habit? Usually because it serves a purpose, or because you enjoy it. For me, walking ticks both boxes, which is the main reason why I try to do rather a lot of it.
When I’m working from home, a quick lunchtime loop of the park never fails to send my mood skyward, while a post-work walk with my dog remains my favourite way to unwind. As someone who grew up in the countryside, there are bonus feel-good points on offer if the walk is somewhere green.
Research seems to support this. A 2020 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health concluded that regular walkers “had better emotional health than those who did not exercise regularly”.
“The average number of walks per week was significantly and positively associated with emotional health,” it adds. “However, the average walk duration had no significant impact on the emotional health of respondents.”
This goes some way to showing that you don’t need to take 10,000 steps to enjoy walking’s myriad perks – simply getting outside is likely to do you a whole lot of good. But I’ve found this number is a good fit for my lifestyle.
It reminds me to take regular breaks from my desk during the work day, and encourages me to spend enough time outside to keep my happiness levels at a premium. On the flip side, if I’m feeling a bit sluggish in the afternoon, a glance at my smartwatch inevitably tells me I’m falling short of this goal.
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It doesn’t have to be a big commitment
Only a small portion of my daily steps usually come from long, formal walks. Instead, I tally them up gradually throughout the day via a few simple behaviour changes – trading escalators for stairs, for example, or using a bus stop slightly further from the house rather than waiting for the next bus to arrive.
Another tip I picked up from a chat with sports scientist and WalkActive founder Joanna Hall is to identify a place I often find myself, then plan a five, 10 and 15-minute out-and-back route I can do from that spot. That way, whenever I’m at a loss during my lunch break or stuck waiting somewhere, I can squeeze in a quick walk and feel all the better for it.
A little can do a lot too. A 2023 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that “walking at least 3,867 steps a day started to reduce the risk of dying from any cause, and 2,337 steps a day reduced the risk of dying from diseases of the heart and blood vessels”.
The research later adds: “An increase of 1,000 steps a day was associated with a 15 per cent reduction in the risk of dying from any cause, and an increase of 500 steps a day was associated with a seven per cent reduction in dying from cardiovascular disease”.
In other words, movement shouldn’t be seen as pointless just because you’re not hitting the 21st century gold standards of 10,000 steps a day or an hour-long gym session. Small amounts of activity accumulated consistently over time (an approach sometimes called exercise snacking) can make a big difference.
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It’s accessible
I watched a fitness influencer get ready for a run on Instagram the other day and, between the energy gels, sunglasses, specialist vest and other running paraphernalia, it looked like a military operation. And I’m all for that – if you’re passionate about something, why not throw the kitchen sink at it?
But for busy individuals seeking a time-savvy way to add movement into their day, walking could be a more accessible solution: simply lace up your shoes and leave the house.
Unlike the gym, there’s no commute to factor in, nor are there any membership fees to worry about, but you’re still getting your fitness fix. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends adults aged 19-64 do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, so one brisk 20-minute walk per day leaves you just 10 minutes shy of this target. The pay-off is impressive too.
“People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing many long-term conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers,” the NHS reports. “Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, clinical depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”
All the more reason to lace up those trainers.
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It’s enjoyable, approachable and flexible
How many times have you heard someone say they “have” to go for a run or commit to a HIIT session? People feel they need to sweat and suffer for a workout to count, but exercise is hardly going to become a habit if you hate every second of it. Instead, I believe the workout you consistently do is always going to be more effective than the one you consistently don’t.
Walking has something to offer pretty much everyone because it’s more approachable than other types of exercise, and there are so many different ways to make it enjoyable. You could meet friends for a social stroll, explore somewhere new on foot or pair your walk with a podcast to keep things interesting.
My favourite approach is to use Google or Instagram to find a new, interesting spot near where I live, then go and have a mosey around. I’ve uncovered plenty of hidden gems this way, and I’m always surprised by the amount of ground I’ve covered when I take a peek at my Apple Watch afterwards.
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It can improve your health and fitness
The physical benefits of walking are well-documented, particularly for those newer to exercise. Walking puts the large muscles in your legs to work, and these muscles need oxygen to help fuel their efforts, so your heart rate rises to meet the increased demand. Regularly raising your heart rate through cardio exercise can improve your heart health, burn calories and boost your cardiovascular fitness (your body’s ability to take in and use oxygen).
The real-world benefits are plain to see. Whether you’re running around with your children or chasing down a bus, improved cardiovascular fitness will make these activities feel significantly easier. If you sit at a desk all day, taking regular movement breaks can keep you fend off related impacts such as tight hips and lower back pain, while increased activity levels also reduce your risk of heart disease and many other chronic conditions.
Walking can be a handy weight loss tool too, if that’s your goal. A calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume) is the common denominator behind weight loss, and walking increases energy expenditure. Paired with an appropriate diet, this can be used to create a sustainable calorie deficit and help you lose weight.
Experienced exercisers may need more intense activities to spark an increase in cardiovascular fitness, as they will already have a good base level. Research also points towards a “brisk walk”, rather than an amble, being needed to see some fitness benefits.
A 2018 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found a cadence of 100 or more steps per minute was linked to “absolutely defined moderate-intensity”, tying into the WHO weekly physical activity guidelines of “at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity” per week.
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The verdict: Should you walk 10,000 steps a day?
“Doing some physical activity is better than doing none,” is the official line from the World Health Organisation. If walking allows you to introduce some exercise into your week where you wouldn’t otherwise have had any, or you’re able to ramp up your existing activity levels, chances are it’s going to do you a lot of good.
But that doesn’t mean you need to walk 10,000 steps a day. Instead, try finding an achievable goal that’s slightly higher than your current step count, stick with it and then experiment with increasing this figure if it feels good.
For all my waxing lyrical about walking’s many plus points, I’d also recommend adding more variety into your exercise plans if you have time – variety is, reputedly, the spice of life after all.
Strength training in particular offers impressive bang for your buck, doing exactly what it says on the tin by strengthening your bones, muscles and joints. It also improves your mobility, helping you handle everyday tasks with ease and lowering your risk of injury.
Lifting weights is something I love to do, along with any number of other activities from gymnastics to football to padel – as a fitness writer, inhaling exercise in all its forms comes with the territory. Yet, I always come back to walking. For me, the mental health benefits are hard to beat, and I find it’s a great way to slow down and gather my thoughts. My three-year-old pup Archie might have something to say if I suddenly stopped, too.
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How many steps should you take per day?
While I’ve found that walking 10,000 steps per day works for me, I always advise against cookie cutter fitness prescriptions. Everyone is different, and goals should be individualised.
For example, a desk-worker who struggles to squeeze in any exercise is going to have very different expectations to a run club stalwart with an active job.
“One thing we need to be conscious of is setting realistic targets,” says Dr Elroy Aguiar, an assistant professor of exercise science at the University of Alabama. “If someone is doing 4,000 or 5,000 steps per day, and you tell them to do 10,000, that’s doubling their amount of daily activity, which can be problematic or even demotivating.”
He says the best place to start is to take a look at your phone or fitness tracker and see how many steps you currently average per day. From here, set a goal of walking 10-20 per cent more than your average daily step count each day.
“Generally speaking, if you improve your baseline steps by about 2,000 per day, that’s a sufficient amount of extra activity to improve health markers like blood pressure and body composition,” he adds.
When maintaining this new target feels manageable, try setting a fresh goal of 10-20 per cent more than your updated average, then slowly build this up over time to reach the health-promoting total of 8,000 (or more).
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