How Many Steps Should We Get Daily?

How Many Steps Should We Get Daily?

Physically active people may have an approximately 30 percent lower risk of premature death compared to sedentary individuals. Just walking 15 minutes a day may reduce death risk by 15 percent. Death rates continue to drop about four percent for each additional 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day like walking––plateauing out at about 90 minutes a day. What does that translate to in terms of time?  The life expectancy for those walking just 15 minutes a day would be about three years longer compared to those who don’t exercise regularly, and those meeting the recommended 30 minutes a day live about four years longer.

The optimal amount of exercise for maximizing longevity remains uncertain, but a pooled analysis of more than a half million men and women followed for an average of more than a dozen years found that mortality rates bottomed out at about 90 minutes a day of moderate intensity physical activity (mostly walking). Compared to no regular exercise, though, exercising just about 30 minutes a day gets you about 80 percent of the way to that maximum exercise benefit.

Walking is among the safest of physical activities, averaging only about one injury per thousand hours. Not using your cell phone and walking against traffic when on roads without sidewalks can reduce pedestrian injuries. Older adults are also encouraged to do both muscle strengthening and flexibility training at least twice a week, along with incorporating balance exercises.

The current official physical activity guidelines recommend adults get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise or a little more than 20 minutes a day. That’s down from previous recommendations from the Surgeon General, the CDC, and the American College of Sports Medicine for at least 30 minutes a day. This is construed as a “trade-off between optimizing health outcomes and minimizing requirements for individuals.”  The exercise authorities are recommending what they think may be achievable, rather than simply informing you what the science says and letting you make up your own mind.

Instead of exercise measured in minutes, what about measured in steps? Those individuals in their 90s in the Sardinian blue zone average about 12,000 steps a day just living their lives. Based on a representative sample of thousands of U.S. adults, those getting 12,000 steps a day had a 65 percent lower risk of dying over the subsequent decade compared to those only getting 4,000 steps a day. Even just getting 8,000 steps a day appeared to cut the risk of premature death in half. A study of more than 15,000 older U.S. women found that even 4,400 steps a day could reduce mortality rates compared to 2,700 steps a day.  The recommendation for 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise converts into approximately 7,000 steps a day. The maximum longevity dose of around 90 minutes a day would translate into walking about 13,500 steps per day.

For the source of this information, watch the 6.75 minute video https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-steps-should-we-get-every-day/