Tuesday, April 18, 2017

10,000 Steps a Day Recommended for Weight Loss

How many steps per day are enough? You may wonder whether 10,000 steps per day is the right number to set as the daily target on your fitness tracker. Where did that number come from and is it a good goal for most people? Does it really indicate that you are getting enough exercise for fitness, to reduce health risks, and support weight loss?

Is 10,000 Steps a Magic Number?

A goal of 10,000 steps per day was created as a promotion by a pedometer company in Japan in the 1960s and it became popular as it was adopted by walking clubs. 10,000 steps a day is the number that has been widely accepted as the number of steps needed per day to lose weight. And some trainers say you need to walk this much every day. This is the type of exercise we can all do and if we can't now we have to keep trying and improving every day until we can.
It wasn't based on research, it just sounded good.
Once the goal of 10,000 steps per day was established, researchers played catch-up and found it was a good indicator you were getting somewhere near the recommended amount of physical activity during that day to reduce health risks. Now many activity monitors and pedometer apps use it as a standard goal. It's been accepted as the standard all over the world, so don't think it's just a fad number and your 30-minute workout on the treadmill is good enough. Pedometers are a low-cost item and everyone that is trying to lose weight should have one. You need to know how active you are.

But Are 10,000 Steps Enough or Too Much?

Many of the more sophisticated trackers also measure whether the steps you take are brisk enough to meet the standard of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. They include a daily goal of 30 minutes of this enhanced level of activity, as recommended to reduce health risks. If 3000 of the steps you take each day are at a pace of 100 per minute for at least 10 minutes, you will meet this goal.
Even a small increase in steps per day above being inactive can make a difference in health. Numbers as low as 6,000 steps per day were shown to correlate with a lower death rate in men.
Experts view 10,000 steps per day as too few for children. But 10,000 steps can be too challenging for people who are elderly, sedentary, or who have chronic diseases.

How Active Are You Based on How Many Steps per Day You Walk?

Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke has been studying pedometer walking for many years.
Tudor-Locke's research established these categories for healthy adults based on the steps per day they logged.
  1. Sedentary Lifestyle Index: Under 5000 steps per day is an indicator of being inactive and sitting too much, which raises health risks.
  2. Low Active: 5,000 to 7,499 steps per day is typical of daily activity excluding sports and exercise and might be considered low active. The average American walks 5,900 to 6,900 steps per day, putting the majority in the low active category.
  3. Somewhat Active: 7,500 to 9,999 steps per day likely includes some exercise or walking (and/or a job that requires more walking) and might be considered somewhat active.
  4. Active: 10,000 steps per day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as active. This makes it a good daily goal for healthy people who want a quick indicator they are getting in their daily exercise.
  5. Highly Active: Individuals who take more than 12,500 steps/day are likely to be classified as highly active.

Increasing Your Daily Steps to Add the Equivalent of 30 Minutes of Walking

Instead of using a blanket 10,000 steps per day as a goal, some suggest your personal goal should be based on your usual baseline plus incremental steps.
Adding 2,000 to 4,000 steps to your daily count is a good indicator you are getting the recommended amount of daily activity or increasing activity to burn more calories.
Let's look at the example of Sara, who puts on a pedometer in the morning and wears it as she goes about her usual daily activities and only takes it off before bedtime. She does this for a few days and notes that she logs around 4,000 steps per day. Her goal should be adding an equivalent of a half hour of walking to her day. The number of steps she would log in 30 minutes is from 2000 to 4000, depending on whether you walk slower or faster.
That's between one and two miles of walking. See how many steps are in a mile depending on your height and stride length.

What Should Your Step Count Goal Be?

While Tudor-Locke advises a goal of 10,000 steps per day as a good baseline, she offers other tips in order to match physical activity recommendations for heart health. Increase your daily steps by 3,000-4,000 steps spent in 10-minute or longer bouts at moderate to vigorous intensity, which is a pace of brisk walking to jogging. Achieve a goal of 8,900 to 9,900 steps at least five days per week with at least 3,000 steps of moderate to vigorous intensity bouts of 10 minutes or more.
Alternatively, set a goal of 9,150 to 10,150 steps at least three days per week with at least 3,250 steps of vigorous intensity bouts of 10 minutes or more.
A three-day a week training routine may be good for maintaining your weight, but probably not good for losing weight. I would try the walk routine 5 or 6 days a week. Especially if that's all you're doing. I like to alternate walking with other types of exercise but that doesn't work for everyone. You have to do what's right for you and if your losing weight with your program stick to it, if not change it. Losing weight is a trial and error system. If what you're doing isn't work, try something different, but never give up. Excess body fat will cause you many problems as you age, so never stop trying to lose that fat.
You can tweet me with questions at #ray0369
I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.
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