In a world where most people sit down to work, travel and relax, daily step goals can be a simple and effective way to increase your activity levels. But you might not reap all the rewards of walking 10,000 steps a day if you don’t consider another key factor: cadence AKA how many steps you take per minute.
If you want to enjoy maximum benefits, walking at a pace of 100-plus steps per minute and maintaining a higher daily step count is the way to go, according to walking expert Dr Elroy Aguiar. His team’s research, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found this particular cadence was a good indicator of “moderate-intensity” exercise.
This is key as “all of the research in this area suggests that most of the benefits [from walking] accumulate at a moderate or higher intensity,” Dr Aguiar explains.
Why is walking cadence important?
A walking cadence of 100 steps per minute can unlock more physical health benefits than a slower amble, and this comes down to how hard your body is working. Moving faster is going to take more effort, so your heart rate needs to speed up to increase the supply of oxygen to your body and the working muscles. As a result, the intensity of the activity increases, and it can be categorised as “moderate-intensity” exercise.
This ties into the physical activity guidelines shared by the World Health Organisation (and echoed by the NHS) which prescribe a weekly total of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of the two.
Luckily, Dr Aguiar says walking at a cadence of 100 steps per minute shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for the majority of people.
“To put it into context, if most people went for a walk down the street, they would self-select a cadence of about 110 to 115 steps per minute, so 100 is a very achievable number,” he says.
“If you wanted to bump the walk up to a vigorous intensity, you could walk at around 130 steps per minute. If you move within that range or slightly above, you can shift gears and get more benefit from the activity you’re doing.”
How many steps do you need to walk a day?
Dr Aguiar says the research is “a little bit unclear” on the importance of walking volume (the number of steps you take per day) when performed without a higher cadence and intensity.
While a number of studies highlight the benefits of walking a certain number of steps per day, “similar studies have shown that volume is not significant unless you also do it at a higher intensity,” he explains.
To cover all bases, Dr Aguiar recommends maintaining both a higher daily step count and a faster walking cadence. And he says you don’t have to walk 10,000 steps a day to experience most of the health benefits on offer.
“The research is suggesting around 7,000 to 8,000 steps per day in terms of volume, and part of that should include 20 to 30 minutes of walking at 100 to 130 steps per minute or faster,” says Dr Aguiar. “That would be the most efficient combination for getting the volume and intensity benefits.”
Although he adds, “there is no higher limit to how much walking activity is good or bad for you – the more steps you get, the better it is”.
Benefits of walking
For a cost-free activity with a low barrier for entry, walking offers an impressive number of benefits.
“It’s possible that an individual starting off from a sedentary lifestyle, with low activity levels, could get some cardiovascular improvements or improvements in aerobic fitness through an increase in walking,” Dr Aguiar says.
“This is especially true if they move from a moderate intensity to the vigorous side of things – walking in a way that starts to get you a little bit breathless, making you huff and puff and causing a light sweat.”
“If you’re walking at 130 steps per minute, which would be about 5mph, you’re really starting to move quickly. You’re accelerating your heart rate, you’re increasing your oxygen consumption, and that’s going to translate into improvements in aerobic fitness.”
“The research is very clear on that – individuals who have better aerobic fitness have lower risk of chronic disease than individuals who have low fitness.”
The World Health Organisation’s physical activity guidelines speak more broadly on the benefits of physical activity but still serve to reinforce the benefits of walking. Regular exercise, it says, can lead to “significant physical and mental health benefits” such as prevention of chronic diseases, reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety and improved overall well-being, among many others.
That’s why, if you’re looking for some low-hanging fitness fruit to boost your health and activity levels, daily walking should be your first port of call – just don’t drag your heels.
Read more: I walked 10,000 steps with a weighted backpack every day for a week – here’s why
