Do you really have to walk 10,000 steps a day?

Are you harassed by your mobile phone because you haven't met the goal of 10,000 daily steps? But why just 10,000 steps and not more or less? What does this standard correspond to and should we approach it at all costs to stay in shape?

It is certain that thephysical activity is beneficial for health: fight againstobesity, the cholesterol, the diabetes and even depression. But from what dose can you feel its benefits? Surely you have heard that it is necessary to take 10,000 steps every day, which is roughly four kilometers. An ambitious goal that is far from being met by most people, who are content with 5,000 steps per day on average. And it is not so serious in the end, because this myth of 10,000 steps is not actually based on any scientific study. This figure was born during the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, when the Yamasa Corporation launched a pedometer called Manpo-kei, which means "measurement of 10,000 steps". It is therefore a purely marketing concept.

Number of steps per day: what is the right goal?

Good news: the quota to stay in shape would actually be lower. A study published in 2019 in the journal Jama Internal Medicine conducted in elderly women shows that the mortality rate is reduced by 40% from 4,400 steps per day compared to those limited to 2,700 steps. Mortality continues to decrease gradually when the number of steps is increased to a ceiling of 7,500 steps from which the additional activity no longer seems to bring any benefit. The National Activity Observatory physical and sedentary lifestyle (Onaps) advocates a daily quota of 5,000 to 6,000 steps per day and theWHO recommend 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity during the week, or around 20 minutes a day.

Number of steps: an indicator that is not very reliable

In reality, there is no point in setting a fetish figure. First, because most pedometers and mobile phones measuring the number of steps are very unreliable: according to a University of Toronto study, some applications underestimate the number of steps by 25% to 30% when others have an additional 10%. It also depends on the pace to which you walk: it must be fast enough to work the cardiac and respiratory system. The walking speed would even be an indicator oflife expectancy regardless of weight, reports a 2019 study of the Mayo Clinic.

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