{"id":898117,"date":"2026-10-29T00:20:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T00:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/898117\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T00:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T00:20:12","slug":"how-many-steps-do-you-really-need-expert-reveals-right-where-you-want-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/898117\/","title":{"rendered":"How many steps do you really need? Expert reveals ‘right where you want to be’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to live longer? Step to it.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t necessarily need 10,000 steps a day, a misconception that actually traces back to a 60-year-old <\/a>marketing campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody talks about 10,000 steps a day,\u201d a workout that can take over two hours, said Dr. Theodore Strange<\/a>, a geriatrician and internal medicine specialist at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital. <\/p>\n

On the other hand, taking fewer than 2,000 steps is considered sedentary, he noted.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the sweet spot between the two?<\/p>\n

\"AnDr. Strange recommends building up from your baseline daily step count. Kay Abrahams\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Strange\u2019s advises tracking your steps for a few days, as increasing your baseline improves health. <\/p>\n

Research shows that anything over 2,200 helps<\/a> steps helps you live longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet them up to that 5,000 to 6,000 range and then try to get to 7,000 to 8,000 a day,\u201d he suggested, noting that range is \u201cright where you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officially, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends<\/a> 7,000 steps or more, a threshold research shows lowers the risk of mortality by 70%.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can get it to 10,000, it\u2019s great,\u201d Strange says. \u201cAnything more than that, you\u2019re an athlete; you\u2019re a star.\u201d<\/p>\n

Step count doesn\u2019t tell the whole story though. <\/p>\n

A new study<\/a> shows that walking speed is also a powerful indicator of longevity.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m walkin\u2019 here!<\/p>\n

In what might come as no surprise to fast-walking New Yorkers, a quicker pace is associated with a lower risk of untimely death.<\/p>\n

\"AWalking speed is often the first to slow as age-related systems decline. Studio Romantic \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Researchers looked at data from over 10,000 older Brits with an average age of 69. They found that walking faster \u2014 whether in a lab setting, during everyday activities or when consciously walking faster \u2014 was associated with a 17 to 23% lower risk of early death.<\/p>\n

Even a tiny speed increase of\u00a0.1 meters per second correlated with lower mortality.<\/p>\n

Importantly, the authors note it isn\u2019t the act of fast walking itself that makes you live longer. Rather, walking fast indicates that the body\u2019s internal systems are working well.<\/p>\n

To walk quickly, you need good cardiorespiratory function, muscular strength, balance and a healthy nervous system, explained Strange.<\/p>\n

Fast walkers are also more likely to properly fuel their bodies and live free of energy-sapping chronic diseases.<\/p>\n

If any of these underlying systems decline, \u201cwalking speed may be one of the first functional measures to decline with that,\u201d said Strange. \u201cAnd as you lose that, you probably have an increased risk for falling, frailty, decreased cognitive decline, and\u00a0ultimately,\u00a0increased morbidity and mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to walk better<\/p>\n

As with any big lifestyle shift, start with baby steps. Well, not literally \u2014 just start walking, Strange said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStart gradually. Go slowly, meaning at a speed that feels comfortable for you,\u201d Strange said. \u201cDo it consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Devices like smart watches can be useful to give you \u201creal objective data you can measure\u201d including step count and cadence, as this new study examined.<\/p>\n

Once you establish a baseline, Strange says to increase your weekly walking time by just a few minutes.<\/p>\n

To prepare for a successful walk, he emphasizes a few key principles.<\/p>\n

First, maintain proper posture by standing tall with your shoulders back, keeping your body relaxed and letting your arms swing naturally. <\/p>\n

Ensure you stay adequately hydrated and fueled before heading out. To prevent tripping, focus on taking short, controlled steps. <\/p>\n

Listening to your body is also crucial. If you feel any discomfort, slow down or stop completely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want to live longer? Step to it. You don\u2019t necessarily need 10,000 steps a day, a misconception that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":898118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[2594,337,97,2749,3284,15760,673],"class_list":["post-898117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-aging","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-longevity","tag-study-says","tag-walking","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=898117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/898118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=898117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=898117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=898117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}