Ask Your Uncle: Do 10,000 Steps a Day Really Make a Difference for Your Health?

Welcome to Ask Your Uncle, a regular feature at LGBTSr.com answering questions big and small. Have something to ask your uncle? Email us at Uncle@LGBTSr.com.

Q: Everyone seems to be counting their steps these days, with the general consensus being a minimum of 10,000 per day to maintain basic step-health. Where does that come from, and is 10,000 steps really a magic number?

A: Uncle sees step counters everywhere and wonders the same thing. Why do so many people consider 10,000 steps to be a basic daily requirement? What are they basing this belief on?

Where the Number Comes From

“The origin of this standard is a little murky. But researchers believe the number can be traced back to 1965, when a Japanese company made a pedometer named Manpo-kei, or “10,000 steps meter” in English. As Shawn Arent, PhD, CSCS, professor and chair of the department of exercise science and director of the sport and science lab at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, explains, the rationale behind 10,000 steps was more about marketing than science. Clearly, that marketing was wildly successful, as the recommendation to take 10,000 steps a day has become ingrained in Western culture.” (Everyday Health)

Does Counting Steps Really Make a Difference?

“People who track their daily steps may not only be more active, they may also be less likely to develop health problems that lead to events like heart attacks or broken bones, a new study suggests.

Researchers examined data on 1,297 participants from clinical trials that randomly assigned half of the people to track steps with pedometers over 12 weeks while the rest of them did no tracking at all. When they joined the trial, people took about 7,500 steps a day and got 90 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity in at least 10-minute bouts.

Three to four years later, people who used pedometers were getting about 30 more minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity, the study found. Pedometer users were also 44% less likely to experience a fracture and 66% less likely to have a serious cardiovascular event like a heart attack or stroke.” (Reuters)

How Many Steps Are Enough?

“The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles. It’s a good idea to find out how many steps a day you walk now, as your own baseline. Then you can work up toward the goal of 10,000 steps by aiming to add 1,000 extra steps a day every two weeks.

If you’re already walking more than 10,000 steps a day, or if you’re fairly active and trying to lose weight, you’ll probably want to set your daily step goal higher.” (Mayo Clinic)

What Else Can We do to Be Active?

10 alternatives to walking 10,000 steps (UVA Health) – click the link for more details:

The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of both moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercise each week. So instead of pounding the pavement for over an hour every day, Werner suggests trying to incorporate the following higher-intensity exercises into your routine to reach that 150-minute goal:

1. Biking
2. Swimming
3. Elliptical
4. Interval training
5. Weight lifting
6. Kickboxing
7. Dancing
8. Tennis
9. Jumping rope
10. Hiking uphill

What Are Some Options for People Who Can’t Walk Distances?

“Don’t let injury, disability, illness, or weight problems get in the way. These chair exercises and other simple fitness tips can keep you active and improve your health and well-being.

It’s important to remember that any type of exercise will offer health benefits. Mobility issues inevitably make some types of exercise easier than others, but no matter your physical situation, you should aim to incorporate three different types of exercise into your routines:

Cardiovascular exercises that raise your heart rate and increase your endurance. These can include walking, running, cycling, dancing, tennis, swimming, water aerobics, or “aquajogging”. Many people with mobility issues find exercising in water especially beneficial as it supports the body and reduces the risk of muscle or joint discomfort. Even if you’re confined to a chair or wheelchair, it’s still possible to perform cardiovascular exercise.

Strength training exercises involve using weights or other resistance to build muscle and bone mass, improve balance, and prevent falls. If you have limited mobility in your legs, your focus will be on upper body strength training. Similarly, if you have a shoulder injury, for example, your focus will be more on strength training your legs and core.

Flexibility exercises help enhance your range of motion, prevent injury, and reduce pain and stiffness. These may include stretching exercises and yoga. Even if you have limited mobility in your legs, for example, you may still benefit from stretches and flexibility exercises to prevent or delay further muscle atrophy.” (HelpGuide)

Next up on Ask Your Uncle: Are bats in the house dangerous?
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