People are always talking about “getting their steps in” and pretty much everyone understands that they mean 10-thousand steps. But it turns out, that number may not be as “must do” as we think. A looks at how many steps we really need to take every day to help us live longer and guess what the number actually is: there isn’t one!
For the study, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital had 17,000 women who were 45-years old or older wear research-grade fitness trackers for a week to map their activity levels. Then the women’s general health habits, diet, weight, height, smoking status, alcohol use, and personal and family medical history were observed over about four years. And study authors say the results were actually “sort of surprising.”
The study found that on average, women who took about 4,000 steps a day were 40% less likely to die during the four-year follow-up window, compared with ladies who walked less than 2,700 steps a day. Researchers also found that the health benefits for women over 45 “leveled off” after around 7,500 steps. In other words, WANT to hit 10k? Great…but it’s the goal for everyone. But walking does have benefits, so no matter how many steps you take a day, get moving because it’s good for you.
Source: Shape