According to a new study, increasing your daily step count can significantly decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease — and it’s not as much as you might think.
“Walking a minimum of 4,000 steps a day significantly reduces your risk of an early death, while taking 2,337 steps a day will reduce your risk of death specifically from cardiovascular disease but ‘more is better,’” per CNN. More specifically 3,967 steps a day, according to the study.
Those ages 60 and older who had 6,000 to 10,000 daily steps had a 42% reduction “in risk of early death,” per CNN. People 60 and under who had 7,000 to 13,000 steps per day saw a 49% reduction, according to the study.
But even a 1,000 step increase can decrease “all-cause mortality” by 15%, according to the study. Five hundred more steps a day decreases mortality rate by 7%.
As Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventative and lifestyle medicine, told CNN, the link between daily steps and decrease in risk of cardiovascular disease “is not surprising.”
“Exercise directly conditions the cardiovascular system, whereas benefit to other systems or conditions is somewhat less direct,” said Katz.
Dr. Maciej Banach, deputy editor in chief of the European Society of Cardiology and first author of the study, told CNN, “The more steps you walk, the better the effects on your health, and every increase of steps by 500-1,000 steps/day may be associated with significant mortality reductions.”
It’s worth noting that while the study found that 4,000 steps a day significantly reduces the risk of an early death, “the biggest impact on risk occurred” with 7,000 steps or more. The most benefit was seen at roughly 20,000 steps, per CNN.
Health experts emphasize that when it comes to daily step increase, “the earlier, the better,” said Banach.
According to CNN, “Starting any health intervention early ... will have the most impact on cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and other triggers for disease.”
“If you will be regular and consistent with the physical activity — we call it adherent to physical activity — you can always expect significant health benefit and live longer,” Banach told CNN.
How many steps a day is considered active?
According to 10,000 Steps, 10,000 steps a day is “the recommended daily step target for healthy adults to achieve health benefits.” The organization notes, however, that “this goal is not universally appropriate across all ages and physical function.”
“Your individual step goal should be based on current activity levels and overall health and fitness goals.”
But as Banach told CNN, any amount of physical activity helps. “What I tell people who are just starting out and they can’t get a lot of steps in is, ‘Don’t lose hope. Every bit of exercise counts. Keep doing what you’re doing until you get breathless for at least 30 minutes a day.’”
Can you lose weight walking 10,000 steps a day?
According to a 2018 study in the journal Obesity, walking 10,000 steps can impact weight loss. Participants of the study participated in an 18-month “weight loss intervention,” including a “caloric restricted diet” and “prescribed physical activity.”
According to researchers, “The results show that those individuals achieving ≥10% weight loss at 18 months were engaging in approximately 10,000 total (steps), which is consistent with a common public health recommendation for physical activity.”
How can I increase my daily step count?
Before you start increasing your steps, make sure you have a reliable way to track your steps. There are plenty of methods out there, such as a pedometer, step tracking app, fitness watch and more.
Here are a few ways to increase your daily step count:
- Schedule a daily walk.
- Take the stairs more often.
- Park farther away from an entrance in the parking lot.
- Walk your, or a friend’s, dog.
- If possible, walk to a destination instead of driving.
- Walk while you’re chatting on the phone.
- Take multiple quick, 10-minute mini walks throughout the day.
- Recruit your friends and family to walk with.
- Invest in a desk treadmill.
- Create a walking competition or challenge with your friends and family.
- Stand up and walk from your desk once every hour.
- Pace around more.