You may have heard health gurus, gymfluencers, wellness enthusiasts, or even your fitness-fanatic grandchild rave about walking 10,000 steps a day to boost health. You may have even considered trying it out for yourself, except…
10,000 is such a lot of steps…
Bit overwhelming, don’t you think…?
How would I even go about doing it?
Where did ‘10,000 steps’ come from?
The 10,000-step concept has no scientific basis at all. It was a Japanese marketing gimmick used in the 1960s to sell the ‘Manpo-Meter’ pedometer, or step-counter.
This particular number was chosen because the Japanese Kanji character for 10,000 supposedly looks like a person walking (although you may have to stretch your imagination to see it).
Japanese Kanji symbol for ‘10,000’
Artist Renaud Vigourt’s visualization of the Japanese Kanji as a man walking. This image appeared in Popular Science magazine for an article on the origins of the 10,000-step concept
How long is ‘10,000 steps’, anyway?
The length of your stride, or how much ground you cover every time you put one foot in front of the other, depends on the length of your legs. Longer legs mean longer strides. There are several ways to measure your stride length, but the average stride length is taken to be 2.2 feet for women and 2.5 feet for men.
With these averages, 10,000 steps come to roughly:
- 5 miles, or
- 7 kilometers, or
- 22 laps around a regulation football field
Do I have to walk that much?
Not at all! Retrospective research on the 10,000-step concept shows that while it certainly is good to get as much physical activity as possible, you don’t have to go that far.
In fact, for adults aged 60 years and above, 6,000-8,000 steps a day are enough for a healthy life.
How to Walk 6,000 Steps a Day
If we use the average stride length to calculate, 6,000 steps a day come to a little over:
- 5 miles, or
- 4km, or
- 12 laps around a standard football field
If this also seems like a lot, remember that 6,000 are the ‘total’ steps you should walk daily. So, you need to first count how many steps you take in a day already and simply add to them until you reach 6,000.
- Start counting
At this point, you just need something to keep track of your steps, so skip the bells and whistles and get the most basic pedometer that you can clip to your waist for an accurate count. You can also download a step-counting app on your phone.
- Add up
Wearing your pedometer for a week or so should give you a good estimate of how many steps you already walk in a usual day. Now, all you need to do is increase your step count until you reach 6,000 steps a day.
- Walk at every opportunity
If you can dedicate a regular chunk of time at a fixed hour every day to get a thousand steps in, that would be great.
If not, analyze your daily routine and see how you can fit in a couple dozen more steps here, another 50 there. You could do this by doubling your trips to the washing machine in your basement, climbing the stairs a few extra times, or walking in place while watching your favorite television show.
Note:
Walking in place is a lot easier with an aerobic step bench or any raised platform that supports your weight safely.
- Don’t take on too much, too soon
Let’s say you’re falling 3,000 steps short. Don’t panic, and don’t push yourself too much. Increase your step count slowly. It’s better to walk an extra 100 steps a day for a month and increase to 120 steps a day the following month, than to power through the whole 6,000 the very first day and give up because it is just too much effort.
Walking too much when your body isn’t ready can also lead to sore muscles and injuries such as sprains, and foot conditions like blisters.
- Plan for boredom
One big reason people can’t stick to a longer walking routine is boredom, so keep your mind occupied with something fun. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks, or put together a playlist of favorite songs.
- Walk to the beat
If you like walking to music, mix things up with songs of different beats and tempos. This way, you can adjust your speed to the pace of the song, following a brisk march that raises your heart rate with a relaxed stroll that lets you get in some deep, slow breaths.
- Make it a social activity
Walking with other people is motivating. You’re also less likely to cancel a planned walk when you know someone is counting on you to show up.
There are many ways of incorporating family and friends into your walking routine. Some people like to walk in a group. Others assign a day to a different walking buddy, as this gives them one-on-one time and makes it possible to maintain friendships that are at risk of fading with age.
Many senior centers, community recreation centers, and local parks organize walk-and-talk activities. Ask at your local senior center for walking groups you can join.
Keep a Record to Applaud Your Progress
Your well-being gets a big boost when you can see positive results from your efforts, so talk to your doctor about creating a progress chart with your starting health stats. At follow-up visits, your doctor can note your improvements and update your records to show how far your health has come along because you walk 6,000 steps every day.