Today, let’s see the science behind 10k steps per day. Does that help in our fitness journey? How to do it and when to do it? Here is everything you need to know.
Before I begin, a very happy 2024 to all my readers. Just like every year, New Year’s resolutions might be the norm. A common resolution is to stay fit.
An effective way backed by science, to keep ourselves fit is by walking. It is known that by taking a minimum of 10k steps a day, you can keep yourself fit by improving your cardiovascular health and preventing dementia and cancer. Let’s see how.
The origin of 10k steps a day
Surprisingly, the idea of taking 10k steps for better health did not come from a doctor or a scientist, but rather from a clock company called Yamasa from Japan in the year 1964. To date, it has been religiously believed and a lot of people still take 10k steps a day for better health.
The whole idea of 10k steps started because of the launch of a pedometer, a simple device with a metal ball that clicked each time a wearer’s hip moved up and down. At that time 10k steps sounded like a fancy round number and has ever since been used by many to set their goals.
Benefits of 10k steps
- Better cardiovascular health: taking 10k steps a day helps maintain our cardiovascular health. It reduces the risk of heart diseases like heart failure, and stroke. There are a lot of molecules released that positively regulate blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure. These molecules are released when you walk. It elevates your heart rate
- Less dementia risk: walking can lower the risk of dementia by over 50%. It is not just the number of steps but also the walking intensity which helped reduce dementia. The greater the intensity, the lower the dementia
- Less cancer risk: walking can significantly reduce the risk of nearly 13 cancer types
- Reduced diabetes: accumulating up to 10k steps a day can help cope with chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes. This is not just preventive but can also affect preexisting diabetes
- Aid in weight loss: losing weight has a lot of health benefits including reduced diabetes and cardiovascular problems. But, it might not be easy for everyone to lose weight, taking about 10k steps a day coupled with moderate exercise and a calorie deficit can help lose the excess weight and also maintain it
- Molecular changes in the body: According to an article published in the New York Times, there were innumerable changes to the molecular composition of the body, 9815 to be precise!
- Improves lower body strength: walking activates the muscles in the legs including the quads, glutei, calves, and hamstrings
- Faster recovery: especially after intense exercises. It prevents muscle stiffness and makes your body recover faster
- Break through your sedentary lifestyle: walking helps incorporate light to moderate movement (depending on the intensity) in our sedentary lifestyle
- Improves your mood: while walking, our brain releases hormones called endorphins which greatly enhance your mood
The science behind 10k steps
An interesting study by Swerdlow suggests the role of mitochondria in exercise. Mitochondria, being the powerhouse of the cell changes an exercise. The muscle experiences oxidative stress under exercise which in turn boosts mitochondria production. Yet another molecule boosts the production of mitochondria in your body. Any idea? It is the lactic acid produced during vigorous exercise. This lactic acid is also what makes you tired after an exercise.
It sounds too far… will it be worth it?
Something is way better than nothing. The 10k step challenges helped people set a goal of taking 10k steps per day. Even if they could not do it completely, increasing their step gradually through increments had an impact on their fitness.
Technically, 10k steps means you can cover a distance of 4-5 miles depending on your stride length. Committing to taking 10k steps a day will give you a chance to make better choices at your home or workplace.
Need to reach your office on the third floor… take the stairs
Need to go grocery shopping….. walk it up instead of your car
It might sound a lot, but an average American takes about 2k to 4k steps with a normal routine with no exercise. It is possible to complete 10k steps a day. However, if it still scares you or if you experience chronic health issues, you can still take a fewer number of steps and can still reap its benefits. For eg: people who took about 3800 steps a day could see a 25% reduction in dementia.
A large-scale study conducted by Johns Hopkins University reveals that taking around 2400 steps a day would suffice for the good functioning of blood vessels in the heart. But, anything above that only increased the health benefits.
As I said earlier, something is better than nothing. Being active doesn’t have to be boring. A walk in the park admiring nature, a dance form, or a gym. you can do it alone or with a group. You get to decide what interests you but at the end of the day, being active has health benefits.
How should you do the 10k step routine?
The numbers might sound achievable. But, how exactly should you achieve this? The intensity/ pace of your steps matters to get maximum benefits out of the 10k routine. A brisk walk a mild jog or a run has extensive benefits.
A versatile fitness routine
The 10k step challenge essentially involves walking, which means it is low intensity. It is hence fit for populations from all age groups. This single low-intensity workout has proven to help reduce obesity and improve your cardiovascular health.
Downsides of the 10k step routine
Just like there are two sides to a coin, assigning a fixed number of steps to complete daily might have certain disadvantages.
- You start seeing exercise or walking as an aversion, especially if you cannot achieve them
- There are a lot of other workouts like cycling, jogging, or even dance workouts where you get an intense workout without achieving the 10k step goal
- Quantity over Quality: It focuses mainly on mortality/ longevity of life rather than quality of life
- The very number 10000 might be intimidating for many
- The intensity of your walks equally matters: While the step count might help you come out of your walking slump, increasing the pace of your walks in the form of a brisk walk or a light jog will help improve your health
Take home message
10k steps a day is a great workout for attaining good cardiovascular health and improving your fitness. However, its feasibility also depends on your age and chronic health conditions. It isn’t a magic number and the numbers do not matter initially. Even a 6k to 8k steps in the form of a brisk walk is equally beneficial. It also depends on your age and health condition. Start small and gradually make progress. The 10k-step routine mainly benefits the least active people. As it says, each step forward is enough.
Happy walking and comment below your new resolution!
Wow! This is very interesting, I always thought it was just a thing.
Great read! As an on-duty officer, I easily get 10k steps.
Interesting read!