How Many Daily Steps Does It Take to Live a Long Life? Nope, It Is Not 10,000

By convention, many believe that one of the secrets of living a long, healthy, and prosperous life is achieving 10,000 steps daily. For people living a sedentary lifestyle, it's often the goal. But, it takes tremendous effort and will power to maintain. Additionally, for some time now, scientists have doubted the basis for this global phenomenon.

10,000 Steps: Is it the Only Way to Longevity?

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Researchers from the University of Massachusetts analyzed tens of thousands of data from people across four continents and compiled roughly 15 existing studies. The team landed on a more comfortable figure than the extravagant 10,000 daily steps people are accustomed to.

In the study published in the journal The Lancet: Public Health, titled "Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts" researchers say that the optimal number for longevity is closer to 6,000 daily steps, depending on a person's age.

Authors of the study also note that numbers exceeding the optimal steps are unlikely to reduce a person's chances of stumbling early to their grave.

Amanda Paluch, an Amherst epidemiologist from the university of Massachusetts explains that the team saw an incremental reduction in health risks as steps increase, until it levels off. Adding, that the leveling occurred at varying step values for older adults vs their younger counterparts.

Essentially, humans are built to walk. Evolutionary mechanisms have honed human physiology to be able to traverse long distances, shedding heat easily as they walk to and fro like inverted pendulums. This means that human metabolism, cardiovascular health, impact on muscles and bones, and even a person's mental health are tuned to appreciate a good walk. Squeezing any kind of stroll into a person's busy schedule will serve well in helping achieve a longer, healthier, and happier life.

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Origins of the Conventional 10,000 Steps

The question now is, where did the 10,000 daily steps convention come from? In actuality it was merely a marketing scheme. The number was easy to market since it sounded taxing enough to be people's goals, while sounding achievable and worth striving for. Additionally, ScienceAlert reports that it doesn't have any scientific backing.

Paluch explains that 10,000 was easy to promote to the vast majority and was such a clear tool for communication for public health messaging.

On the other hand, getting the right number could spell the difference between encouraging the population to exercise or put off people from trying altogether.

Previously, Paluch and her team published a study based on a cohort of roughly 2,000 middle-aged Americans across the country. Researchers found that taking no less than 7,000 steps per day reduced people's chances of premature deaths by 50-70%.

The latest meta-analysis included data on health and step counts of about 47,000 adults from Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. The team found that 25% of adult participants that stepped the most daily had 40-53% lower chances of dying compared to the bottom 25% of step-counts.