<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re just walking around a lot of the time, going to the shops, walking upstairs, chatting with friends, gardening, foraging,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n This low-intensity, regular movement helps keep our heart, joints, bones and muscles healthy.<\/p>\n And Rajan says that doing lots of walking is better than only occasionally hitting the gym.<\/p>\n \u201cLow intensity, low-stress movement is better than doing high intensity exercise for half an hour and then lying on a sofa the rest of the day,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n How to increase your step count<\/p>\n If your step count is only in triple digits at the end of the day, Rajan suggests increasing it by 500-1,000 steps at a time.<\/p>\n \u201cAny incremental increase in your step count above your baseline is beneficial. So if you\u2019re used to walking 500 steps a day and you add an extra 1,000, that is directly linked to a decrease in mortality, morbidity and improvement in general health,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n And if you struggle to hit the common target of 10,000 steps a day, recent research suggests<\/a> that hitting a lower count could be just as beneficial.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems the benefits you get are maximized at around 7,000 steps. So if you did 7,000 steps versus 12,000, there\u2019s a marginal, negligible difference to the amount of benefits that you\u2019re going to reap from that.\u201d<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/b6ZrJUJkkg4SXkcy54yDZd.jpg\")
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