Do I really need 10,000 steps a day?

What the science says now

Do we know how many steps you need?

Not yet. Our published stories look at movement in general, not step counts. So we can’t tell you that any single daily step number is a must.

What do official guidelines say?

The CDC says adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, such as 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Brisk walking is one of its examples. You don’t have to do it all at once, because you can break it into smaller chunks. The CDC also says some activity is better than none, and that adults need 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week. (CDC) Official guidance for adults.

Does it help to stay active for a while when you go out?

Researchers followed 344 adults who lived near parks in low-income New York City neighborhoods. Near renovated parks, people who usually stayed at least 30 minutes on a weekend day sat 61.1 minutes less a day than people who stayed for shorter visits. That is about an hour less sitting. Each extra hour at the park on a weekday was linked to about 18 more minutes a day of light activity (the exact figure is 18.0). People reported their own visits, so this shows a link, not proof of cause. (Longer visits to a renovated park were linked to more exercise and less sitting · Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act) In people; observational.

Is it too late to start?

In a study of older adults in China, people who went from inactive to active had a lower chance of low resilience than people who stayed inactive. Resilience means how well you cope with stress and bounce back from hard things. On the study’s scale, lower numbers mean lower chances. People who stayed active scored 0.59, and people who went from inactive to active scored 0.72. (Start exercise at any age: older adults who got moving were more resilient · Frontiers in Psychology) In people; observational.

What we don’t know yet

We don’t know whether a particular number of steps a day is best for you. Neither study we cite compared step goals. The park study tracked overall movement and sitting time, and the China study looked at resilience. Both show links, not proven cause. We also can’t say how steps would translate into the CDC’s minutes, and we won’t guess.

When to talk to your doctor

If you have a health condition, pain, or any worry about how much activity is right for you, ask your doctor before you step up your routine. They can help you pick a plan that fits your body and your life.

Talk about it at dinner

Ask everyone at the table: “Where is the nicest place we could walk together this week?” Then take a short family stroll after dinner. Each person can name one thing they noticed along the way.