Myth-Busting ‘10k Steps a Day for Better Health’

Discover the *actual* gold standard for steps, walking’s benefits for mental health and cognitive performance, and 4 clever ways to sneak more steps into your days.

“10,000 steps a day” — most of us recognize this as the gold standard for steps. But you might be surprised to learn that this guideline isn’t based on research. It was created as part of a marketing tactic back in the 1960s for a company specializing in pedometers!¹

While this “golden rule” isn’t rooted in research, studies show that walking can be a great way to improve your health on several fronts. Not only is walking great for your heart health — it can also benefit your mental health, stress levels, and even your creativity!

In this article, we’ll explore:

- The *actual* step count to aim for

- Benefits of walking for physical health

- Benefits of walking for mental health

- Benefits of walking for creativity, focus, and memory

- 4 clever ways to sneak more steps into your days

How many steps a day should you aim for?

Generally, research has found that walking between 4,000-8,000 steps a day is linked with better health outcomes than averaging less than 4k steps a day.

One large-scale study of 16,741 older women found that women who averaged 4,400 steps a day had nearly half the mortality rate of women walking an average of 2,700 steps a day. Researchers continued seeing progressive declines in mortality rate all the way through 7,500 steps a day, where benefits plateaued. ²

Another study that ran for 10 years with 4,800+ men and women ages 40+ found that walking at least 8,000 steps a day was linked with a 51% lower mortality rate than people who walked under 4,000 steps a day. ³

*Reminder: If your current daily step count is lower, that’s okay. Any movement is better than no movement, so don't be hard on yourself. Just try to do a little more than you did the day before, and work your way up to your step goals.

Physical health benefits of walking

Walking is generally considered an aerobic, low-intensity steady-state cardio (LISS) exercise. That means that, unlike high-intensity interval training (HIIT), you maintain a fairly consistent heart rate throughout your workout. Brisk walking is typically considered a moderate-intensity exercise.

Benefits of aerobic exercise like walking include: ⁴

• Lower cholesterol
• Better blood pressure
• Improved heart health
• Improved bone density
• Enhanced muscle tone
• Improved immune system function
• More consistent energy throughout the day

A note on fat loss and walking

It’s been widely held for years that the main benefit of LISS workouts is that it’s better at burning fat. This comes from a 2009 study that found that keeping your heart rate between 60.2% and 80% of its maximal range helped the body use fat as fuel, rather than drawing from fast-acting glycogen (sugar) stores like with high-intensity workouts. ⁵

While there’s some evidence to support this, every workout offers unique benefits. Strength training helps build muscle, which can increase your metabolism and burn more calories at rest. HIIT often leads to more calories burned in a shorter period of time. That’s without considering other unique benefits like balance, muscle strength, bone density, and more.

So experts recommend not taking your heart rate “fat-burning range” too seriously, and instead focusing on doing workouts you enjoy and will do consistently.

Unique physical health benefits of walking for women

Women have higher rates of osteoporosis and related risk for fractures. In fact, the Office on Women’s Health reports that, of the 10 million people diagnosed with osteoporosis, 8 million are women. Experts suggest this may be because women tend to have thinner bones and lose bone density more quickly due to a loss of estrogen during and post-menopause.⁶

Research has found that walking reduces the risk of osteoporosis by slowing the rate of bone loss. Specifically, a study involving 239 postmenopausal women found that walking an average of 1 mile a day had higher bone density than women who didn’t take a long daily walk.⁷

Benefits of walking for mental health

Research has found that walking - especially in green, natural spaces - can benefit:^{4, 8}

• Less stress
• Better sleep
• Improved self-esteem
• Reduced social withdrawal
• Reduced anxiety symptoms
• Reduced symptoms of depression
• Fewer instances of negative mood
• Enhanced cognitive performance

Unique mental health benefits of walking for women

Regular exercise like walking may offer even more benefits for women’s mental health through its impact on endorphins. The endorphins that follow walks can help counteract the drop in estrogen and serotonin that women experience as they age and go through menopause.

One study involving 60 postmenopausal women found that regular exercise led to an 18% decrease in symptoms of moderate depression and a 22% decrease in severe depression symptoms.⁹

Benefits of walking for creativity, focus, memory, and more

One study explored the impact of a 50-minute walk through an urban vs. natural setting on major depressive disorder. Researchers found that participants who spent their long walk in nature saw significant improvements in their memory span compared to urban settings! ¹⁰

Another study involving students from elementary age through college found that a 10 minute walk before testing led to: ¹¹

• Enhanced memory
• Improved math problem-solving skills
• Feature detection tasks (critical reasoning skills)

Several studies have also linked walking with enhanced creativity and productivity. For instance, a study by Stanford found that, in comparing inside vs. outside and sitting vs. walking, walking outside had the greatest impact on creativity.

Stanford researchers shared,"walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity." ¹²

4 Tips to sneak more steps into your days

#1 Anything is better than nothing

The CDC shares that the best practice is to simply “move more and sit less throughout the day,” because “some physical activity is better than none.” ¹³ So please don’t stress if you don’t hit your step goals for a few days!

#2 You don’t have to do all 30 minutes in one go

Make it easier on yourself by breaking up your daily goal into smaller chunks throughout the day. Go for x3 10-minute walks or x6 6-minute walks.

#3 Multi-task to fit in more steps

For many of us, there’s only so many times you can listen to a podcast or music before you get bored of your walks. But there’s much more you can do while walking! Schedule calls with loved ones or even business calls while you go on a 20 minute walk. Or better yet, invite a friend to keep you company on your stroll.

#4 Trick yourself into walking more

Park a little further from your office or the grocery store, choose the stairs instead of the elevator, play tag a little longer with your kids, or give your pup a few extra minutes on your regular walks. Remember - a little goes a long way!

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References:

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2. Lee IM, Shiroma EJ, Kamada M, Bassett DR, Matthews CE, Buring JE. Association of step volume and intensity with all-cause mortality in older women. JAMA internal medicine. 2019 Aug 1;179(8):1105-12.
   
   
3. Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Bassett DR, Graubard BI, Carlson SA, Shiroma EJ, Fulton JE, Matthews CE. Association of daily step count and step intensity with mortality among US adults. JAMA. 2020 Mar 24;323(12):1151-60.
   
   
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7. Krall, E. A., & Dawson-Hughes, B. (1994). Walking is related to bone density and rates of bone loss. The American Journal of Medicine, 96(1), 20–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9343(94)90111-2
   
   
8. Grassini, S. (2022). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Nature Walk as an Intervention for Anxiety and Depression. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(6), 1731. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11061731
   
   
9. Villaverde Gutiérrez, C., Torres Luque, G., Ábalos Medina, G. M., Argente del Castillo, M. J., Guisado, I. M., Guisado Barrilao, R., & Ramírez Rodrigo, J. (2012). Influence of exercise on mood in postmenopausal women. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21(7-8), 923–928. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03972.x
   
   
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12. Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Give Your Ideas Some legs: the Positive Effect of Walking on Creative thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40(4), 1142–1152. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036577
    
    
13. CDC. (2024). Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Weight Status. Chronic Disease Indicators. https://www.cdc.gov/cdi/indicator-definitions/npao.html