How Fast You Walk May Determine How Long You Live

You don’t actually need to take 10,000 steps a day to stay fit. That figure comes from the marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer called the Manpo-Kei, which translates to “10,000 steps meter.” It’s proved to be a remarkably resilient myth, though.

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So how many steps should you take per day? A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has some answers.

Physical activity researchers from the University of Sydney tracked the steps and walking pace of more than 100,000 middle-aged adults enrolled in the U.K.’s BioBank program for seven consecutive days. They then followed their health for roughly eight years to record any differences in mortality between four separate groups: those who took less than 5,000 steps per day; those who took between 5,000 and 7,500; those who took between 7,500 and 10,000; and the overachievers who averaged more than 10,000 steps. During the study period, nearly 1,700 of the participants passed away, and around 500 of them died of cardiovascular disease.

Interestingly, the researchers found several different combinations of steps and pace associated with a reduced risk for premature death. People taking less than 5,000 steps per day saw a substantially reduced risk of mortality, but only if their pace was brisk (80 steps per minute). In fact, people taking these short, quick walks had the same risk of premature death as those who walked between 5,000 and 7,500 steps per day at a slow pace (60 steps per minute).

According to the researchers, the key seems to be walking at a speedy clip for at least half an hour per day. Those who did so showed a progressively reduced risk of death from any cause—at least among the groups walking less than 7,500 steps per day.

But what about the others?

People walking between 7,500 and 10,000 steps seemed to be the healthiest, with their premature mortality risk reduced the most, even compared to those taking more than 10,000 steps. Per the team, the human body runs into diminishing returns around that mark.

So, again, there’s no need to take 10,000 steps a day, but you may want to pick up the pace a little when you are out and about.