It’s not 10,000 according to our cardiologist. In reality “it’s much less”.
We should do 10,000 steps per day to be healthy. But according to whom? Because this bar of 10,000 steps per day has never been an official recommendation from the World Health Organization. “It is a false recommendation or rather a myth whose starting point goes back to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where appear the first pedometers designed by Yamasa Corporation, a Japanese company. These pedometers are called Manpo-kei, which literally means “10,000 steps per day.” Very quickly, this marketing argument was repeated almost everywhere without there having been any studies or verification of sources.“, explains Dr Catherine Monpère, cardiologist and member of the French Federation of Cardiology (FFC). That being said, physical activity and in particular walking must be an integral part of our daily lives to stay healthy.
For a significant benefit on life expectancy, the minimum is…
Although it is not necessary to take literally a number of steps that must be taken every day, it is still important to have marks. A study carried out under the aegis of theEuropean Society of Cardiology, based on nearly 230,000 people (64 years old on average, 49% women) followed for 7 years, took stock of the number of steps to take. “Researchers have established a very clear relationship between the number of steps taken per day and the reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, reports our interlocutor. According to them, taking fewer than 4,000 steps per day is linked to a significant cardiovascular risk and a danger in terms of overall mortality. And beyond 4,000 steps per day, there would be a very significant benefit on life expectancy.“. The more we walk, the more mortality decreases: each time we do 500 more steps per day, we reduce cardiovascular mortality by approximately 7% and every time we do 1,000 more steps per daywe reduce our overall mortality by approximately 15%. “This reduction in mortality is very clear from the start of the increase in the number of daily steps“adds the specialist.
Walking is good, but the ideal is to be active throughout the day
Good to know, there is no relationship with walking speed. In other words, you don’t need to walk quickly to have health benefits, notes the cardiologist. More than the number of steps, the important thing is to fight against inactivity and to have regular physical activity. Walking is good, but the ideal is tobe active throughout your day : doing household chores, your garden, taking the stairs, riding an exercise bike, yoga… According to the WHO, it is recommended to do per week (in adults 18 to 64 years old) at least 150 to 300 minutes (2h30 to 5h) an endurance activity moderate intensity (walk briskly, ride a leisure bike, swim, aquagym, etc.) or at least 75 to 150 minutes (1h15 to 2h30) sustained intensity endurance activity (walking with an elevation gain, mountain hiking, jogging, mountain biking, fast swimming, team sports, tennis, etc.) or the combination of the two.
A different number of steps for women?
“These favorable results on mortality are found whatever the gender and whatever the country of origin of the participants“, replies our interlocutor. However, a sedentary lifestyle affects women a little more than men (1/3 of women are inactive compared to 1/4 of men), so they must ensure that they do at least their 4,000 steps per day.
A different number of steps depending on age?
“There would be the same reducing effects on mortality whether one is over or under 65 years old., but with the same results a lower number of daily steps in the subjects aged.“, assures the cardiologist. To have benchmarks, you can increase your number of steps between 5,000 and 6,000 per day for people over 60, which takes about an hour’s walk at a leisurely pace.
What if we want to lose weight?
As walking is a physical activity, it consumes energy. The more we walk, the more calories we will burn. It is estimated that we burn approximately 300 calories per hour when you walk at 6 km/h and to lose 1 kilo of fat, you have to burn around 7,000 calories, which corresponds to 23 hours of walking, the equivalent of 5,000 steps per day for 28 days straight Or 8,000 steps per day for 17 days straight.