How many steps should be taken daily to stay healthy?

We should do it 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy. But according to who? Because this bar of 10,000 steps per day has never been an official recommendation from the World Health Organization. “it is Wrong recommendation Than that A legend Which goes back to the starting point 1964 Tokyo Olympics where appears The first pedometer Designed by Japanese company Yamasa Corporation. These are called pedometers Manpo-kai, which literally means “10,000 steps per day.” Very quickly, this marketing argument was repeated almost everywhere, without any studies or verification of sources.“, explains Dr. Catherine Monperre, cardiologist and member of the French Federation of Cardiology (FFC). That being said, physical activity and especially to walk Staying healthy should be an integral part of our daily life.

For a significant gain on life expectancy, the minimum is…

Although it’s not literally a number of steps that must be taken every day, it’s still important marks. A study conducted under the auspices ofEuropean Society of Cardiology, took stock of the number of steps taken, based on nearly 230,000 people (average age 64, 49% women) followed for 7 years. “Researchers have established a very clear relationship between the number of steps taken per day and Reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, informs our interlocutor. According to them, taking less than 4,000 steps per day is associated with significant cardiovascular risk and overall mortality risk. And beyond 4,000 steps per day, there will be a very significant benefit on life expectancy.“. The more we walk, the more mortality falls: every time we do it 500 more steps per day, We reduce cardiovascular mortality by approx 7% And every time we do 1,000 more steps per dayWe reduce our overall mortality by approx 15%. “This reduction in mortality is very pronounced Starting to increase the number of daily steps“Adds the expert.

Walking is good, but the ideal is to be active throughout the day

Information to know, No correlation with walking speed. In other words, you don’t need to walk briskly to reap the health benefits, cardiologists note. More than the number of steps, the important thing is to fight inactivity and do regular physical activity. Walking is good, but idealBe active throughout the day : Doing housework, your garden, climbing stairs, riding an exercise bike, yoga… According to WHO, these are recommended. per week (In adults 18 to 64 years) at least 150 to 300 minutes (2h30 to 5h) Endurance activity Moderate intensity (brisk walk, leisure bike ride, swimming, aquagym etc.) or at least 75 to 150 minutes (1h15 to 2h30) Endurance activity of sustained intensity (walking with a change in altitude, mountain hiking, jogging, mountain biking, fast swimming, team sports, tennis, etc.) or A combination of the two.

Different number of steps for women?

“This has favorable consequences on mortality Regardless of gender and whatever the country of origin of the participantsOur interlocutor answers. However, a sedentary lifestyle affects women slightly more than men (1/3 of women are inactive compared to 1/4 of men), so they should make sure they At least their 4,000 steps per day.

A different number of steps depending on age?

“There will be similar reducing effects on mortality, whether older or younger than 65 years., But the number of daily steps was lower in the subjects with similar results old“, the cardiologist assures. To get a benchmark, you can increase the number of your steps Between 5,000 and 6,000 per day For people over 60, that takes about an hour of walking at a leisurely pace.

What if we want to lose weight?

Since walking is a physical activity, it uses energy. The more we walk, the more calories we burn. It is estimated that we burn approx 300 calories per hour When you walk at a speed of 6 km/h and lose 1 kg of fat, you have to burn about 7,000 calories, which corresponds to 23 hours of walking. 5,000 steps per day for 28 days straight Or 8,000 steps per day for 17 days straight.