Do you really need to get 10,000 steps a day?

As a millennial, I’ve watched life evolve at a ridiculous pace. Some revolutions have failed to take off – bet someone reading this has got a dusty mini disc player in a drawer somewhere – but one which started with pedometers seems to have been boosted to the point of mega hype today. I’m talking about counting and tracking our daily steps. But how important is our step count really? Should we be taking 10,000 per day? What is a good step count for weight loss? And how many steps count as exercise? Read on to find out more…

10,000 steps: the magic number
Let’s talk about one of the best-known fitness facts on the planet – that we should all be aiming for 10,000 steps per day. Where did it come from? We’ve actually pretty much reached the point where nobody truly knows the origin story, and this speaks volumes. If you can’t find the root of something, what are you really looking at?

I’ve read previously that there was a study done in the mid-twentieth century comparing daily step counts of women (typically secretaries) and men (their bosses) in offices, which uncovered the shocking news that the men sat down a lot, and the women walked a lot. Guess what number of steps the women apparently covered? Yup, the magical 10,000.

However, the source generally believed to be responsible for our five digit goal is a Japanese company which launched a pedometer in 1965. Searching for a name for their product, the brand (Yamasa Tokei) hit upon “Manpo-kei”. I don’t speak Japanese myself, but the internet informs me that the rough translation is “10,000 steps meter”. The company liked how that sounded, so went with it. And thus began one of the fitness industry’s biggest myths.

Hi, my name’s Becky, I’m a personal trainer and…
…I rarely hit 10,000 steps per day. In fact, I average roughly 6,000 (and I’ll come back to this number soon). I have no disabilities. However, I live in the countryside (so I drive a lot), and I don’t like cardio.

I’m most likely to hit the magic number when I’m out and about all day being a tourist, or seeing friends. Even on a day which involves errands, I’ll drive to the nearest town, dash around doing them, sit down to have a manicure, and drive home again.

My job is about coaching others in their physical activity. It includes demonstrating exercises, and observing, whilst I stand or crouch nearby (not in a weird way). But it’s not a step-maker.

Do I have a good level of fitness despite all of this? Yes. Could it be better? Of course. Do I want to achieve that by upping my steps? I’m glad you asked…

Recently, I have increased my step count
One of my friends invited me to join an app which rewards you for taking steps and, later this year, these will actually be converted into cryptocurrency (I’ve been on a personal mission to improve my finances this year, and investing in crypto is something I’m keen on. So the idea of earning it as part of my normal life in addition to purchasing it? Sounds ideal).

There are various elements of the app to gamify it and incentivise users, one of which is a boost function. At the moment, what that means is that I can choose when to start the daily 20-minute boost and, providing that I take 2,200 steps in those 20 minutes, I earn extra coins for my crypto wallet.

“Easy,” I thought, confidently striding out on my first boost walk with my 5’9” frame which includes the blessing of 32” legs. I am a Fast Walker. Add in my chronic Type A personality, and I’m honestly pretty quick.

I checked my watch a few minutes in, and I was behind! I upped my pace and could soon feel myself working really hard, and started crunching some numbers in my head… 2,200 in 20 minutes is 110 steps per minute, or just shy of two steps per second. I honestly thought I’d have to run some of it. I did it, but I realised I hadn’t enjoyed it, I’d had to push myself and I’d only done it for the reward.

Let’s do a bit more maths
I tried again another day with a new strategy. I shortened my stride. And sure enough, I found the target easier. Turns out my leggy steps are too big.

However, I still spent 17 minutes accomplishing 2,200 steps. We’ll make it easier on ourselves and call it that I can do 2,000 steps in 20 minutes. Which means I might get 10,000 done in 100 minutes. That, as I’m sure you’re aware, is an hour and 40 minutes.

Hang on a 110-step minute.

One hundred precious minutes? Every day? That’s how much I need to find to hit my steps?

I’m being a bit dramatic. But bear in mind that I average 6,000. So I “need” to find another 4,000, which will honestly take me at least 30 minutes. I’m someone who prioritises their health, fitness, and general wellbeing highly. And I don’t want to have to do that. Before you scare yourself by checking your own stats, and start comparing, take this free advice…

Five key points about your step count

1. Do you enjoy walking? If you really hate it, or there isn’t somewhere safe to go, this isn’t going to work for you, so don’t use it as a stick to beat yourself with unfairly
2. Can you measure it accurately? My step count shot up when I got a watch. Turns out that contrary to my friends’ beliefs, I don’t take my phone everywhere with me. A wrist-worn device will give you the truest idea of your step count
3. Does it work with your lifestyle? Get real with the numbers without scaring yourself. If it means that you’ve got to find more time than is physically possible, this isn’t the one for you. Plus…
4. Take it one at a time. As we’ve learned, the 10k is arbitrary. You already have an average step count. It may benefit you (see points above) to improve it. That’s all that’s necessary. If you’re doing 1,000 per day, aim for 1,001, or 1,100
5. Give it time to work, and make sure you reassess. Your habits, and your fitness level won’t change overnight. Try upping your steps for 12 weeks. Review it every four – are you still pushing yourself? Is it fitting into your days? Are you seeing a difference? And most importantly, are you happy?

If you learn one thing from this post, let it be this: 10,000 steps is not a compulsory element of fitness. And if you’d like some personalised help with yours, get in touch!