How Many Steps Should You Take A Day For Fitness Or Weight Loss?

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Medical News TodaySubscribeHow many steps should people take per day?

Medically reviewed by Marie Lorraine Johnson MS, RD, CPT — Written by Jennifer Huizen — Updated on August 20, 2024

For general health
For weight loss
For physical fitness
By sex
By age
Increasing step count
FAQ
Summary

For general fitness, most adults should aim for 8,000-10,000 steps per day. However, the number of steps a person walks on average will depend on a person’s age, current fitness level, and health goals.

This recommendation comes from a 2022 meta-analysis of 15 studies.

Walking is an effective form of low impact exercise that can help people improve or maintain their physical fitness.

In this article, we look in more detail at how many steps people should take each day for:

general health
weight loss
physical strength

We also look at the requirements for different age groups and sexes and explain how to take more steps each day.

How many steps to take for general health

Footprints in snow. — Third Eye Images/Getty Images

Walking is a form of low impact, moderate-intensity exercise that has a range of health benefits and few risks. As a result, the CDC recommends that most adults aim for 10,000 steps per day.For most people, this is the equivalent of about 8 kilometers or 5 miles.

Most people in the United States only take4,774 steps per day,which equates to about 2 miles.

As doctors generally consider fewer than 5,000 steps per day to be sedentary, this means that many people in the U.S. are not getting as many steps as they should to benefit their health.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, walking can improve:

muscle strength
range of motion
blood flow
flexibility
joint stiffness
mood and sleep
breathing

Walking can also help improve or prevent certain health conditions, such as obesity, osteoporosis, and age-related memory loss.

The benefits of walking appear to increase with step count.A 2022 study found that taking more steps a day is associated with a progressively lower risk of all-cause mortality. Walking at a faster pace for 30 to 60 minutes also showed a noticeable reduction in the risk of death.

How many steps to take for weight loss

The number of steps to take for weight loss can vary depending on an individual’s current weight, food intake, and target weight. However, 10,000 steps is a good goal for most people.

Some evidence suggests that exercise intensity is also important for weight loss.

According to a 2021 study that investigated how physical activity affected weight loss in 26,935 people over six months, activity levels above approximately 7500 steps per day are significantly associated with greater weight loss compared with the minimum value of 516 steps per day.

How many steps to improve fitness?

If a person wishes to use walking as a way to improve their strength, flexibility, or stamina, they may also benefit from more intense forms of walking.

For example, walking uphill activates more muscles than walking on a flat surface. People who get many of their 10,000 steps walking up hills will, therefore, get a more thorough workout.

Other ways to get more cardiovascular benefits from walking and boost muscle strength include:

climbing stairs
stepping up and down on a stool
walking briskly for sustained periods
focusing on objects in the distance, which can increase walking speed by up to 23%
wearing weighted wrist or ankle straps
Nordic walking, which involves the use of poles to work out the upper and lower body

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average walking speed in the U.S. is about 2.5-3 miles per hour (mph). To increase walking speed, people can try keeping pace with up-tempo music. For example, taking steps in time with the beat of popular chart hits can help people walk at a rate of 3.5–5 mph.

Steps by sex

There is no conclusive evidence that natal sex affects the number of steps that a person should take. Therefore, 10,000 steps per day is a suitable goal for males and females.

Brisk walking is also a safe exercise during pregnancy. The CDC recommends that pregnant people get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

Steps by age

Most adults require a similar level of physical activity for optimum health. However, the CDC notes that children, adolescents, and older adults have different needs:

3–5 years

The CDC recommends that children who are 3–5 years old remain physically active throughout the day. It is unclear how many steps this translates into, but for most children, it means engaging in active play every day.

6–17 years

The CDC states that children and adolescents who are 6–17 years old should get at least 60 minutes of aerobic and strengthening exercise per day. A 2012 study estimated that this is equivalent to 11,290–12,512 steps.

Therefore, 12,000 steps may be a helpful goal for people in this age group. However, to meet the CDC recommendations, at least 1 hour of this activity would need to be of moderate to vigorous intensity.

Older adults

As mentioned above, a 2022 meta-analysis of 15 studies investigated the daily step count on all-cause mortality in adults who are 18 years old and over.

In this study, the more steps people took, the lower the mortality rate. For adults 60 and older, the risk of premature death leveled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day. This finding suggests that a goal of roughly 7,000 steps may be sufficient for older adults to see significant benefits from walking.

However, the authors note that this study was observational so it can’t prove cause and effect. Also, most of the participants were white volunteers from high-income countries. As a result, the findings may not be widely applicable.

How to get more steps

Getting more steps can be a challenge, particularly for people who need more time or face other barriers that prevent them from walking more frequently.

However, there are plenty of ways to include more steps in everyday life, such as:

taking the stairs instead of using elevators or escalators
going for walks during lunch breaks, while meeting with friends, or while talking on the phone
using restrooms or meeting rooms that are further away within an office building
taking breaks from working, watching TV, or reading to do something active
trying new ways to get more steps, such as dancing or hiking
parking further away than usual from stores or other destinations
getting off public transport a stop early and walking the rest of the way
walking to or from work, if possible

Some research shows that monitoring step count leads to both short- and long-term increases in daily steps. As a result, some may benefit from using a pedometer, smartwatch, or app that can track steps via a smartphone.

It is important to warm up before exercise and cool down afterward to prevent injuries. If walking causes pain, a person should stop as soon as possible. If the pain is severe, recurrent, or persistent, they should speak with a doctor.

Frequently asked questions

Is 5000 steps a day enough?

Generally speaking, walking fewer than 5,000 steps per day is considered sedentary. Being sedentary is linked to various health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.

Can a person lose weight by walking 10,000 steps a day?

Yes, walking 10,000 steps a day can aid with weight loss, as it exceeds the 7,500-step threshold associated with weight loss.

How many miles is 10,000 steps?

For most people, 10,000 steps is the equivalent of about 8 kilometers, which is just under 5 miles. However, this may vary slightly depending on a person’s stride length.

Summary

Current guidelines suggest that most adults should aim for about 8,000-10,000 steps per day. People with specific goals, such as weight loss or muscle strengthening, may benefit from increasing the intensity of walking.

The benefits of walking appear to increase in line with physical activity. Older children and teenagers can aim for close to 12,000 steps, while those who are older or unable to walk for long can still benefit from lower step counts.

Public Health
Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Sports Medicine / Fitness

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

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Benefits of physical activity. (2024).https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/benefits/index.html
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Warm up, cool down. (2024).https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/warm-up-cool-down
Why we should sit less. (2022).https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/why-sitting-too-much-is-bad-for-us/

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Medically reviewed by Marie Lorraine Johnson MS, RD, CPT — Written by Jennifer Huizen — Updated on August 20, 2024

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