How Many Steps a Day Benefits Your Health?

A goal of 10,000 steps has been recommended regarding how many steps a day you need to take, but everyone may not always need to reach that goal. Taking 10,000 steps can be helpful for weight loss. Some evidence suggests that one to two days of 8,000 steps a week also have health benefits.

People in the U.S. take 4,000 to 5,000 steps, or about two to 2.5 miles, daily on average. There are plenty of ways to get more if that's your goal. Here's what you need to know about the number of steps you need to take each day to improve your health.

Benefits of Walking

There are several advantages to walking in general, which include:

• Easier weight loss or management
• Improved balance, cognition, heart health, memory, mood, and sleep
• Increased energy, stamina, insulin sensitivity, longevity, and HDL ("good") cholesterol
• Lowered blood sugar, blood pressure, and LDL ("bad") cholesterol
• Reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke
• Strengthened bones
  

How Many Steps for General Health

Researchers evaluated data from more than 3,000 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2005–2006. They tracked the participants' step counts for one week and then measured this information against their mortality data.

The researchers discovered that people who walked 8,000 or more steps a day once or twice a week had lower mortality rates. These rates were nearly as good as those who walked the same number of steps every day. This group had a 15% lower risk of dying in the next 10 years. Those who hit the 8,000-step mark three to seven days a week had a 16.5% lower risk.

The benefits plateaued after walking 8,000 steps three days a week. This means those who walked that much for four or more days didn't see any further reductions in mortality risk.

Other evidence suggests that walking 10,000 daily steps is linked to reduced mortality, cancer, and cardiovascular disease risks. Another study published in 2022 examined more than 78,000 people aged 40 to 79 who wore wrist-based step meters. The results showed that those who were able to achieve nearly 10,000 steps per day had a significantly lower risk of dementia than their aged-matched cohorts.

For Weight Loss

The standard goal for steps regarding weight loss is achieving a minimum of 10,000 daily steps. A study published in 2018 found that taking this number of steps a day was linked to weight loss. Keep in mind that getting 10,000 steps is not the only thing that allowed the participants to experience weight loss. The participants also ate a certain amount of calories at a time.

Doing sessions of intense physical activity contributed to 3,500 of their 10,000 steps. This suggests that movement can help, but increased workout intensity and dietary changes can also be important for weight loss.

To Improve Fitness

A baseline for improving physical fitness is to start with 5,000 steps as your daily goal. Step goals will vary because everyone has a different level of physical fitness. Being physically fit means that you can perform physical activities with few or no problems related to factors like strength and endurance.

Cardiorespiratory fitness can impact mortality risk for both those with cardiovascular disease and those without. This type of fitness improves with the more steps you take.

You can figure out a step count goal to benefit physical fitness by:

• Adding 5,000 steps to the number of steps achieved during a walk to determine your step goal
• Measuring how many steps you take during a 20-minute walk
• Monitoring how much you walk outside of exercise sessions
• Working your way up to the step goal gradually
  

Other Factors

There are additional factors to consider when you're trying to determine how many steps to take every day. Your age and biological sex may also affect step count needs.

By Age

Taking more steps can benefit a person's health, no matter the age. The following step counts have been shown to be helpful:

• School-aged children and adolescents: 9,000 at a minimum
• Adults aged 18 to 59: 8,000 before benefits begin to plateau
• Adults aged 60 and older: 6,000 to 8,000 before benefits begin to plateau
  

By Sex

The daily steps needed according to biological sex are unclear. About 7,000 to 9,000 steps for adult males and females have been linked to lower all-cause mortality, or death related to any cause.

Taking more steps—whether you aim for 10,000 or not—is generally better regardless of sex. Research has shown that the all-cause mortality was lower among men and women who took 8,000 steps compared to 4,000 steps.

How To Get More Steps In

You can make small lifestyle changes to get more steps in beyond walking more often. Consider doing the following:

• Figure out when you can be physically active throughout the week by picking any times you have available to exercise.
• Find ways to incorporate activity into your day-to-day routine, like using the stairs when possible or exercising when you watch TV.
• Pick exercises or activities that aren't dependent on good weather.
• Talk to family and friends about doing something active with you, such as going for a jog or meeting at the gym to work out together.

A Quick Review

Taking 10,000 steps a day is often the standard step goal to meet. Your step goal can vary based on other goals you may have. A minimum of 5,000 steps might be beneficial for your physical fitness, while 8,000 steps could offer reduced chronic disease risk.

Increasing your daily steps can be helpful for physical health goals. You can take more steps by making different changes, like taking time to be active and having others exercise with you.