Thousand steps how many steps

In ancient Rome, distances were actually measured by counting steps. So in order for someone to reach the 10, step goal, they would need to walk between four and five miles a day around two hours of activity.

But while some research has shown health benefits at 10, steps, recent research from Harvard Medical School has shown that, on average, approximately 4, steps a day is enough to significantly lower the risk of death in women.

This was when compared to only walking around 2, steps daily. The more steps people walked, the lower their risk of dying was, before levelling off at around 7, steps a day.

No additional benefits were seen with more steps. Continue to increase each week and you should be averaging 10, steps by the end of 14 weeks. Skip to Main Content. Loading Close. Do Not Show Again Close. For them, walking 5, or 10, steps a day will improve their fitness. Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. Poppy Logo. FB house promo. Share this article via facebook Share this article via twitter Share this article via messenger Share this with Share this article via email Share this article via flipboard Copy link.

Every little bit counts throughout the day — you could walk part of the way to work, take a stroll at lunchtime, have a walk-and-talk coffee meeting, walk to the supermarket instead of driving, or take the dog out for a play in the park in the evening.

For other forms of exercise, 10, Steps suggests counting things like swimming, going to the gym and playing tennis by converting them into steps as follows:. Moderate intensity activity causes a slight, but noticeable increase in breathing and heart rate. You should be able to maintain a conversation. Some examples of moderate intensity activity include:.

Some examples of high intensity activity include:. Pedometers have come a long way — there is now a huge range of fitness gadgets available that are comfortable to wear, attractive and technologically advanced, including smart watches and handy apps for your mobile phone.

These activity trackers can be great motivational tools to help you reach your goals. For the first few days of wearing your activity tracker, notice what your normal activity levels are like and take some time to familiarise yourself with how many steps each activity is worth.

If your normal lifestyle is quite sedentary and 10, steps seems like a difficult goal, just start small. You might decide to try to increase your activity by or steps a day. Every small improvement is a step in the right direction. Choose a goal that you feel is achievable and use each small success to motivate you to go further. Doing anything as a group is a great way to boost your motivation and enthusiasm. Encourage your friends, family members of colleagues to join your 10, steps challenge, and the shared goal will help keep you all inspired.

You could even start a friendly competition to push yourselves further. Using whatever method works best for you — notes on your desk, calendar pop-ups, an alarm on your phone, or alerts from your fitness device — set a few reminders throughout the day to keep you inspired and motivated to get moving.