Of course, walking 10,000 steps—roughly four to five miles, depending on your stride length—is still great exercise, and a perfectly good daily goal; it's just not an automatic fitness cure-all. “If walking is the only element of your fitness plan, your results will be very limited,” Cote cautions.
Taking 10,000 steps is about the same as walking four or five miles, depending on your stride. Still, the new research says you don't have to take that many to get health benefits.
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.
However, without understanding your net caloric balance, walking 10,000 steps, 15,000 steps, or even 20,000 steps a day might not be enough to cause any meaningful fat loss or improvements in body composition. To achieve fat loss, you need to burn more calories than you get from your food.
Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to your workout time. A daily step count is a poor metric to track and pursue for your workout regimen. If you want to be healthier and fitter, be less injury-prone, and age more gracefully, follow a well-rounded workout program. Tracking steps is a bad idea.
"Think of 10,000 steps as the minimum for daily physical activity, and additional cardio training as weekly exercise to improve fitness and overall health," says Monaco.
Low active is 5,000 to 7,499 steps per day. Somewhat active is 7,500 to 9,999 steps per day. Active is more than 10,000 steps per day. Highly active is more than 12,500.
The average U.S. adult takes 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day, which is the equivalent of about 1.5 to 2 miles. Walking less than 5,000 steps each day is considered sedentary.
What does 10,000 steps look like? Ten thousand steps equates to about eight kilometres, or an hour and 40 minutes walking, depending on your stride length and walking speed.
The short answer is yes. “Walking is just as good as any other form of exercise,” says University Hospitals pediatric sports medicine specialist Laura Goldberg, MD. “The guidelines are 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week. It doesn't really matter how you get that.
Stair climbing requires about 8 - 11kcal of energy per minute, which is high compared to other moderate level physical activities. Active stair climbers are more fit and have a higher aerobic capacity. Even two flights of stairs climbed per day can lead to 6 lbs of weight loss over one year.
Does walking around your house count as exercise? Any movement you do can help you become more physically active. When answering this question, you need to ask yourself: What is my goal? If you simply want to move around more, then yes: Walking around your house is exercise.
A new study by the London School of Economics and Political Science has found that a brisk 30-minute walk (roughly 3000 steps) is more effective at weight control than running, swimming or going to the gym.
Burn more calories
First, walking up and down stairs burns more calories than walking on a flat surface at a moderate pace. How many calories you burn depends on your weight, but going down stairs burns between 175 and 275 calories per hour and going up stairs burns 530 to 835 calories per hour.
Stair climbing engages your body's largest muscle groups to repeatedly lift your body weight up, step after step. Thus using your muscles to carry your own weight is far higher to running as compared. Maximizes your cardio efforts: It also raises your heart rate immediately thus maximizing your cardio benefits.
But while walking may not be a better workout, it may be a better exercise choice for some people. “With that being said, walking is a really good form of exercise and can help you reach your fitness and weight-loss goals.
Walking is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health. Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance.
There are plenty of sources, reports and recommendations pointing to walking as an easy way to increase levels of physical activity. And most experts will agree that adding between 20 and 30 minutes of exercise to your daily routine is a good place to start.
How much weight you can lose from walking depends on your current weight, diet and activity level. We recommend losing no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week for sustainable weight loss, which means you could potentially lose 10 pounds in five weeks.
Examples - without a tracker:
This 45 min HITT class (including 5 min rest time) is equal to 6000 steps: + 20 min in moderate (2000 steps)
How much should I walk to lose 10 kg? 30 minutes a day of brisk walking or power walking 5 days a week can help you reduce up to 10 kgs.