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24.03.2022Do We Really Need 10 000 Steps a Day for Weight Loss?
Upd: 26.12.2022
The debate of whether walking 10,000 steps a day is recommended for weight loss has raged on, and we are here to put an end to it once and for all.
How to Lose Weight
The rule of thumb for losing weight is increasing your activity levels through exercise and practicing deliberate/conscious eating. Moderate-intensity exercises like brisk walking or running for at least 30 minutes, along with taking at least 10,000 steps a day, can make a world of difference in your weight loss journey.
Where most individuals get it wrong is reaching the right walking speed for weight loss. If you are walking, you need to walk speedily to qualify as a brisk walk.
Walking for Weight Loss
One of the questions we get is, “Is walking good for weight loss?”. The answer is yes, walking is a great way to lose weight. In subsequent sections, we will discuss how you can go about walking for weight loss.
Running for Weight Loss
You can also lose weight by running. Running is a great way to burn those pesky calories and build your stamina.
Walking Vs. Running for Weight Loss
| Running | Walking |
| Burns twice as many calories per minute as walking | Burns fewer calories per minute |
| More effective for losing abdominal fat | Less effective for burning abdominal fat |
| Lower risk of hip replacement | Higher chance of hip replacement |
| Higher risk of injury | Less chance of sustaining an injury |
| More intense | Less intense |
| Requires more stamina to start | Requires less stamina to begin |
How Many Steps a Day Do I Need to Walk to Lose Weight?
Fitness tracker apps recommend that you take around 10,000 steps each day. However, you can still lose weight if you take about 4,500 steps daily. The trick is consistency all year round.
What Is the Distance of 10000 Steps for Our Health?
We know that walking has many notable benefits for health. It burns calories, cuts blood pressure, and slows the aging brain. However, you may need to learn how many calories are burned from different walking distances.
- A 1-mile walk burns 38.3 to 67.1 calories or 220-605, depending on the pace.
- 5 kilometers walk reduces 159 to 302 calories or 1,200 to 2,420, depending on the pace.
- 10 km walk is about 69 minutes and burns 872 to 1,771 calories.
- 20 kilometers walk is not easy! 3 hours and 4 mins will cover that distance, and 950-2125 kcals will be burnt.
There are a lot of things that need to be clarified about how far the 10,000 steps are. While we seldom think about the topic, it is essential to look into it. Some women have made it a running/walking goal after Texas Woman’s University published research suggesting that 10,000 steps are the equivalent or better than 30 minutes of walking.
Scientists in Korea say the rate of about 10,000 – ideal steps per day will help burn enough calories for weight loss by 10 Kg in two months. The devices are used as self-imposed exercise because many people don’t want to leave work during work hours and undergo physical training outside the office.
Typically, 10K steps will take 4.4 miles. These estimates depend mainly on your size and gender, although you can vary in your walking speed, weight, and age. It’s available at distances of 4.4 miles and 4.1 miles between males (5’7 inches / 6’3 inches) and females.
The larger your height, the greater distance you cover. The table shows the number of steps in miles based on height and gender. I estimated my steps’ length and measured the number and size of 10,000 steps.
Due to technological advances and because we don’t live daily life as past generations did, we’ve lost the awareness of how many steps it takes to maintain our health. Today 1 mile (1.6 km) is considered 5000 steps, which only sometimes aligns with our targeted 12891-step goal for fitness. That’s why sources like Texas Woman’s University recommend a 10,000-steps per day target for normal-weight people to combat low-intensity chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.
How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?
The number of calories burned while walking is affected by weight, speed, and duration.
Researchers found that walking 10000 steps a day before and after brought variance in 97 burned calories by an average-sized female at a pace.
A study by the Berkeley Wellness Centre and Massachusetts General Hospital concluded the number of calories burned is not infinite but 97. This number was recorded after studying data from 116,312 healthy people who had their body mass index (BMI) taken.
How far are 10,000 steps?
How many steps are there in 10,000? Let’s use the MET (metabolic equivalent of task) system to determine this particular. MET rules say that a person’s average daily steps result in 2.5 METS. Moreover, according to various studies, people sweat out roughly 2-10% of the amount they drink daily at work. To calculate how many steps there are in 10,000 right now, we take 5670 (2.5 X 10,000), divide it by 60 (1/3 rounds up or 100% if you have multiple places you have to make calculations), and multiply it with 355/680=43 extra walking needed for weight management which gets us a total of about 10,000 steps a day results.
10,000 Steps a Day Weight Loss
Walking 10,000 steps a day equals walking about 5 miles daily and burning an average of 2000 calories weekly. Yes, it is that intense, which is why it is so popular. Fun fact, this challenge originated in Japan and gained popularity in several other countries.
If you can walk 10,000 steps a day, that means you have a very high activity threshold. So, if you are a newbie looking for an easy exercise to partake in, try walking ten thousand steps every day.
Also read: How to Find Motivation to Lose Weight
Why Should I Walk 10,000 Steps a Day?
You already know that walking is a form of exercise that almost everyone can participate in. It helps improve longevity and the quality of your health. Consistently walking 10,000 steps a day results in a reduced rate of
- Cardiovascular disease
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Depression
10000 Steps a Day Benefits for Better Mental Health and Happiness
Walking is one of the most beneficial activities for our mental and physical health. It can help us reduce stress, improve our mood, and increase creativity. In recent years, walking has been used to treat mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. It is also an effective tool for treating sleep disorders.
The benefits of walking are endless. It can help us maintain a healthy weight, improve our physical fitness levels, reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and even lower the risk of early death.
- Walking for at least 30 minutes a day can significantly decrease one’s risk of developing depression. It also lowers the risk of anxiety, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to the physical benefits, walking has been proven to improve our mood and make us happier. In one study, participants were asked to walk on an inclined treadmill while watching their favorite movie clips or listening to their favorite music. The participants who walked while watching their favorite clips or listening to their favorite music reported higher happiness levels than those who walked without stimulation.
Does 10000 Steps a Day Help Lose Weight?
As obesity and obesity-related diseases are not only a problem but an epidemic, it is essential to discuss this topic and raise awareness. We should implement studies such as this into our everyday lives and beliefs to have concrete scientific evidence backing up our conclusions on how best to increase our health quality.
A study published in the journal ‘’The American Journal of Preventive Medicine’’ in 2017 found convincing evidence that a simple act of walking – 10,000 steps per day would help women to lose weight in a sustainable way over their lifespan.
A recent study suggests that women who walk more than 10,000 steps per day are likely to have a smaller waist size than average, but it is still being determined how this relates to reducing weight. Findings from the study were inconsistent based on gender, walkers’ height, and step rate.
Moreover, the result was that women with a sleep deficit may have the time potential to form a stringent plan of walking 6000 or 10,000 steps per day to see removal in Obesity and cardiovascular disease rates – the actual costs of obesity after menopause.
How to Hit 10000 Steps and Stay Active All Day
The first step is to set a goal for yourself. Start by selecting a time frame in which you want to hit your goal. For example, you can switch your destination in one week or two weeks.
So, we have prepared ten practical tips to help you successfully incorporate 10,000 steps into your daily routine.
1. Create a schedule and stick to it.
The best way to stay on schedule is to create one. The most successful people are those who plan. If you want to stick with your program, you must build a buffer for the unexpected.
2. Get up and stretch.
A study from the Journal of Physical Activity & Health found that walking combined with a five-minute bout of light stretching reduced muscle pain by 30% in the first four hours.
3. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator before walking can provide a more challenging workout that delivers more profound benefits. Walking up to ten flights of stairs can burn over 200 calories and strengthen your butt, legs, chest, and back muscles.
4. Drink water.
Not only does water help keep your skin hydrated, but it also helps you stay hydrated. Drinking water is essential for your metabolism and helps keep you energized.
5. Avoid sitting for more than an hour at a time.
Sitting for extended periods can be detrimental to one’s health. Take a break from your desk for at least every hour you’re sitting to avoid the adverse effects of prolonged sitting. So, it’s a good way of how to get 10000 steps without leaving the house!
6. Wear comfortable shoes with good support for your feet and back muscles when exercising outdoors or indoors.
The muscles in your feet and back are essential for supporting your posture while you walk. Therefore, your shoes should provide good support and stay on your feet to reduce the strain on these muscles.
7. Plan your errands so you can walk as much as possible.
Sometimes, a straightforward errand can lead to an hours-long walk around the suburbs. To avoid this, put together a pre-planned route for your errands and make sure that it is possible to make the whole trip on foot.
8. Put your phone away and take a walk outside every day.
The sun, fresh air, and a change of scenery can make for a much healthier day spent outside our screens.
9. Find ways to incorporate physical activity into your job.
Research shows that people who exercise at work have fewer sick days, increased productivity, and improved psychological well-being.
10. Keep track of your daily step count on an app.
It can be challenging to stay healthy when you’re always on the go. Studies have shown that people with 10000 steps a day results per day have a lower risk of obesity and heart disease. You don’t need to buy any expensive fitness aids to start exercising. Plenty of available apps can track your steps and make reaching your daily goal easier.
How to Walk 10,000 Steps a Day at Home
Deciding to walk 10,000 steps daily is easy but finding the motivation to follow through is hard. One trick to achieving this goal is starting small — go for a brisk walk, run around the block, or take an average of 2,500 steps daily consistently. Then as time goes on, slowly ramp up the numbers until you get to the desired 10,000 mark.
Recommended Walking Speed for Weight Loss
Speed matters while walking for weight loss. Thus, for best results, we advise that you walk at a pace of 4 miles per hour. That comes down to about 135 steps each minute. This pace is intense enough to ensure that you lose weight and keep fit.
Bonus Tip: How to Track Your Steps
A pedometer is a portable device that helps keep track of your steps daily. For best results, you should clip the pedometer to your outfit so it is just above the knee. Some pedometers such as Lasta can convert the number of steps you take to the number of calories burned.
Final Thoughts
Walking 10,000 steps daily at home is a great way to lose weight. To help you achieve your goal, you can include the family, take the dog out for a walk, schedule walking appointments, and try walking to music. Get a pedometer to help keep track of your step count for the day — the Lasta app comes with one! Try it out today.
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Emmanuella Uka is a passionate researcher, creative writer, and SEO expert. She prides in delivering top-notch content that effectively fulfills the writing purpose. She is versatile across a wide range of niches, and topics. Emmanuella Uka is currently married with 2 kids and lives in the United States of America.
Lilly Jackson is the Fitness coach & Rehabilitator. She is helping women everywhere unlock their full potential in health and fitness! With a Masters's in Medicine and a passion for writing, her calling is to share knowledge with the world.
This article is super helpful! It’s great to know that I can start with just 10000 steps weight loss results and still achieve my goal. Thanks for the information!
Hi, James🤗
Thanks for your feedback!