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How Many Steps Should I Walk In A Day?
- Richard J Yun
- Dec 14, 2019
- 2 min read
The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles. It's a good idea to find out how many steps a day you walk now, as your own baseline. Then you can work up toward the goal of 10,000 steps by aiming to add 1,000 extra steps a day every two weeks. (Mayo Clinic)
With that being said, you should take as many steps as it's required to meet your goals.
The Benefits of Walking
There are a lot of benefits. These are just a few major benefits.
1. Heart disease
2. Obesity
3. Diabetes
4. High blood pressure
5. Depression
6. Increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness
7. Reduced body fat.
8. Increased muscle strength and endurance
Different Goals
FitBit released an insightful article that explains this in detail
General Fitness Gains
- Start slowly to avoid burnout or further injury. Wear a Fitbit tracker and determine how many steps you take on average each day over the course of a week. That’s your baseline. The Mayo Clinic recommends adding 1000 daily steps each week, so if your baseline is 4000 steps per day, set your goal at 5000 steps each day. Meeting your goal may be as simple as an extra five-minute walk, or even parking a few cars further away at the supermarket, depending on your speed and stride.
Weight Loss
- First, determine how much weight you wish to lose—then, do a little math. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends slow weight loss for lasting results—usually 1/2 pound to one pound per week. Completing an extra 10,000 steps each day typically burns about 2000 to 3500 extra calories each week. One pound of body fat equals 3500 calories, so depending on your weight and workout intensity, you could lose about one pound per week simply by completing an extra 10,000 steps each day.
Health Maintenance
- Once you have met your desired goals, you may simply want to maintain your fitness level. The 10,000-step goal could be just right for you
- One study out of California State University showed that mood lifted in correlation with increased numbers of daily steps, and researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that 30 minutes of walking each day cut stroke risk by a minimum of 20%. Of course, you’ll also burn calories and fat, and if outside, enjoy an extra dose of sunny vitamin D while you’re at it.
Get your own fitness tracker (FitBit) with this link.
So What?
Make walking, interesting, a pleasure and eventually a habit. Whether you are trying to lose 20 pounds or plan on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, walking everyday will help you achieve those goals.
Sources:
I'm a UofT student and this is a student exploration project sponsored by KiImpact.com
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