Why how you walk could matter as much as how far

By Alicia Curry, ITV News Producer

Walking is one of the simplest things we can do for our health – no gym membership, special equipment or perfect weather required.

It is the habit we turn to for fresh air, focus or a reset in the middle of a busy day.

For many years, 10,000 steps has been held up as the benchmark for better health, but where did that figure come from, and does it still hold up in light of new research suggesting that how we walk may matter more than how many steps we take?

Where did 10,000 steps come from?

While 10,000 steps has become a standard goal in many people’s daily routine, this number actually originated from a Japanese company’s marketing campaign for a pedometer in the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

The device was named Manpo-kei, which translates to ‘10,000 steps meter’ and is believed to have been chosen because the Japanese symbol for 10,000 resembles a person running.

There is no evidence that the number was picked with any scientific backing, but from that point on, the 10,000-step target has become ingrained in the fitness world.

Does how you walk matter?

A new eight-year study has recommended that longer periods of continuous walking are better for your health than walking the same number of steps in shorter bursts.

The research published in the Annals of International Medicine analysed the impact of walking on the health of more than 33,000 adults in the UK.

It found that people who take fewer, longer walks lasting at least 10-15 minutes had lower chances of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes.

At an average pace, this would equate to 1,000-1,500 steps.

Meanwhile, those who walked continuously for only five minutes at a time were at a significantly higher risk of heart problems.

Senior author Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis said: “We tend to place all the emphasis on the number of steps or the total amount of walking but neglect the crucial role of patterns, for example ‘how’ walking is done.

“This study shows that even people who are very physically inactive can maximise their heart health benefit by tweaking their walking patterns to walk for longer at a time, ideally for at least 10-15 minutes, when possible.”

Does the distance still matter?

Despite the 10,000 target being debunked by scientists on several occasions, it is still widely accepted that there are health benefits in hitting 7,000 steps and above.

In July, a study found “sizeable” health benefits – including a reduced risk of dementia, heart disease and premature death – can still be seen from fewer daily steps.

Even modest step counts of 4,000 steps a day can reap benefits over very low levels of activity, academics from the University of Sydney in Australia found.

But experts noted that “10,000 steps per day will still be better than 7,000 steps” – with the higher step count leading to more health benefits.

Researchers examined data from dozens of studies from around the world, including in the UK, on tens of thousands of adults.

People who walked 7,000 steps each day appeared to have a protective effect against a number of diseases, including a 25% lower risk of heart disease, a 14% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, a 38% lower risk of dementia and 22% reduced risk of depression.

The researchers also found that when people walked 7,000 daily steps, compared to walking 2,000 steps, they were 47% less likely to die during the follow-up periods of the studies analysed.

And while the number of steps walked did not sway whether or not a person got cancer, people who walked more steps were significantly less likely to die from cancer, with 37% lower odds of cancer death compared to people who walked fewer steps.