The Holy Grail of walking 10,000 steps each day has become something of a mantra for health and medical professionals. But a walking expert has questioned whether it’s the number of steps that matter for better health or, in fact, the pace at which we walk.
Dr Elroy Aguiar, an assistant professor of exercise science at the University of Alabama, has been researching step-based measurements of physical activity and the use of wearables such as Garmin sports watches, Fitbit and Apple watches.
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that if we want to gain maximum benefits from walking, it should be done at “moderate intensity”. The recommended cadence, or pace, is 100-plus steps per minute.
Higher intensity exercise is also recommend by the World Health Organisation with the call for people to aim for a weekly total of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity to improve overall health.
Why does walking pace matter?
Increasing your walking cadence takes more effort, which means that your heart rate needs to increase to speed up the supply of oxygen to your muscles.
There are many health gains to be had from getting your heart to beat faster including a higher burn of calories, lower cholesterol levels. reduced blood pressure, lower risk of diabetes, healthier body weight and reduced inflammation throughout the body.
For runners or hikers, improving your cardiovascular fitness often leads to better performances, such as a faster 5k time or greater ease to walk uphill.
Is 100 steps a minute achievable?
According to Dr Aguiar, walking at a cadence of 100 steps per minute should be possible for most people. He says the majority of people will automatically choose a cadence of 110 to 115 steps per minute when walking along a street.
For greater benefits, we should aim to walk more vigorously at 130 steps per minute.
Does this debunk the 10,000 daily steps mantra?
Dr Aguia and his research team reckon that for improved health it’s more important to focus on pace rather than the number of steps. Although, obviously if you walk only 1000 steps at a faster pace of 100 steps per minute this will not have the same benefit as walking 10,000 steps at moderate intensity.
To cover all bases, Dr Aguiar recommends maintaining both a higher daily step count and a faster walking cadence. His tip is a daily target of 7,000 to 8,000 steps during which you include 20 to 30 minutes of walking at 100 to 130 steps per minute or faster.
