It’s become something of a magic number. Walk 10,000 steps a
day we’re told, to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and
cancer. But can we still get fit by doing less?
Thanks to activity trackers, step counters and smart phone
apps, we’re seldom in the dark about how many steps we’ve clocked up. Many of
us don’t have time to fit in 10,000 steps (the equivalent of eight kilometres),
and for the one in five of us who don’t reach this number, there’s some good
news.
First, there’s not much science behind 10,000 steps. It was
part of a marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer company in the 1060s, a
way of encouraging people to increase the time they spent walking every day.
Being a nice round number, the idea took off, both in Japan and across the
world.
Second, our public health guidelines promote at least 30
minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a day. This translates to between 3,000
and 4,000 steps. The more you do, however, the more you’ll benefit, and you’ll
notice improvements in your fitness as you increase your daily step count.
Pace may be just as important
As fixated as we get with reaching a target step count, our pace is just as important, says Associate Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, from the University of Sydney's School of Public Health. "There's a big difference between doing a slow-paced 10,000 steps and a brisk walk of 7,000 steps," he told ABC online.
“To be considered moderate intensity, in general most adults
need to take 100 steps per minute,” Professor Stamatakis explains.
Moderate intensity is a pace where you’re able to notice
your breathing but can carry on a conversation without noticeable pauses
between words. Many people think of this as a brisk walk. You’ll get even
fitter if you up your pace to a vigorous intensity. This means you can talk to
a friend but will be interrupted with noticeable pauses between words to take a
breath. That’s about 130 steps per minute, according to Professor Stamatakis.