icon-account icon-glass

Join the community!

We'll keep you up to date with interesting news, product information and offers so you never miss out.

No boring newsletters and we'll never share your address. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Popular Products

The Lean Protein
Whey protein powder for weight-loss.
The Energy Booster
Pre/intra-workout powder with BCAAs.
The Glow Booster
Collagen supplement for skin.

Why Is 10,000 Steps Per Day A Recommended Goal? Innermost Investigates

21st March 2022

21st March 2022

By Beth Shelper

We’re not sure about you, but recently, it seems like everyone is obsessed with ‘getting their steps in’. We’re not mad about it, as here at Innermost we love to encourage people to have healthy fitness goals that they’re working towards, but it got the team here wondering… why 10,000 steps a day? Where did this goal and recommendation come from?

Surely, right? All movement is good movement, after all. If you’re looking to tone up, lose weight and up your stamina, this challenge could be for you. The Tone Capsules could be, too.

The 10,000 steps per day challenge

Invented in 1960, the 10,000 steps per day challenge was first conceptualised in the 1960s. It derives from the branded name of a pedometer sold called “Manpo-kei”, in Japan, which translates to ’10,000 steps supplied’. The rest was history.

Why 10,000 steps per day?

Aside from being a great competitive metric and the ultimate motivation to get you up and moving, the 10,000 step recommendation isn’t just another fad trend. It’s now even been endorsed by the World Health Organisation… and it’s hard to argue with them. They kind of know what they’re talking about.

Notable charities have also adopted the challenge to raise funds and awareness for their cause, including the Walk All Over Cancer campaign implemented by Cancer Research UK. The challenge requires supporters to walk 10,000 steps a day for a month, citing the following benefits:

10,000 steps a day for a month straight equates to 150 miles, too! But what does that mean day-by-day? Let’s take a look.

10,000 steps: the metrics

So, now we know that walking 10,000 steps is pretty beneficial after all, we thought it would be interesting to check out the metrics around walking 10,000 steps. We’re talking about the all important questions: how many calories is 10,000 steps, how long does it take to walk 10,00 steps, and what is 10,000 steps in miles? All highly important questions, obviously.

How long does it take to walk 10,000 steps?

Let’s start with perhaps the most burning question of them all. Time is precious, we know that, so it’s all about finding out what the most efficient way to walk 10,000 steps would be.

Maybe you want to stretch it out throughout your day, or maybe you want to smash out your 10,000 steps all at once! And either is fine.

In answer to your question, it would take the average person around 90 minutes (an hour and a half) to get 10,000 steps in in one go. The absolute perfect excuse to get out the house during that next football game on a Sunday, am I right?

How many calories does 10,000 steps burn?

The answer to this question is slightly more ambiguous. Calories burnt depends on several factors, but, if you were to walk briskly (aka, not jog, but not a slow slump either) for around thirty minutes, you can burn around 400 calories. Nice work!

What is 10,000 steps in miles?

Again, this depends on factors such as stride length and overall fitness level, but on average it takes around 2,000 steps to walk a mile. So let’s call 10,000 steps around 5 miles. Not a bad shift!

If you’re trying to get your daily steps up to 10,000 and have some time to burn, why not work out the average distance to your local store (or maybe one a tiny bit further away?). If there and back, the round trip totals up to around 5 miles, you’ve got your steps in… and your bread, cheese and milk, all in one. Can’t complain with that one.

What is 10,000 steps in kilometres?

If you don’t work in miles and want to know how long that is in kilometre, don’t worry, we’ve got you. Five miles is around eight kilometres. Some good training for the upcoming local 10k fun run!

How can I track my 10,000 steps a day?

Tracking your steps has never been simpler. In fact, anyone with a smartphone will have been tracking their steps (subconsciously) since the day you started using it!

Whilst our phones are somewhat glued to our hands at all points of the day it seems, one time in which this isn’t true is at the gym, and this is where fitness watches come in. Whichever brand you opt for, all of the mainstream fitness watches will have a step-tracking feature installed so that you can work your way to 10,000 steps with ease.

Our top tips for walking 10,000 miles in a day

Now you know just how far 10,000 steps is (five miles, just in case you’d forgotten already), you might be after some tips and tricks for getting to that all-important 10,000 step mark. Especially if you want to break this goal up throughout your day.

Here’s some inspiration to get you going:

  • Walk and talk on the phone (but remember to watch where you’re going)
  • Go the wrong (or the long) way
  • Take the stairs (don’t be lazy, now!)
  • Walk, don’t drive
  • Set an alarm to get yourself moving every thirty minutes
  • Take the dog for an extra walk each day (they’ll love you for it)
  • Park further away than necessary
  • Add steps to your daily chores
  • Start and end your day with a walk around the neighbourhood

Here's what the studies have to say

Don't just take our word for it: the science backs us up, too. A meta analysis recently published in Science Daily reviewed 15 studies that had investigated the impact of a daily step-count and the benefits of the strategy. 

Reviewing the results of studies that covered over 50,000 people, this meta analysis into daily step count conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that the number of steps you walk a day does in fact have a positive impact on your health. 

The interesting part? That optimum number changes depending on your age. Yes, really.

    The younger you are, the more steps you should be doing. Of course, taking your abilities into account, those in the groups who got a greater number of steps in in a day saw a much lower risk of death (of up to nearly 50%), compared to those who walked fewer steps. 

    Summary

    Looks like a pretty good recommendation after all, right? Let us know how you get on with your 10,000 steps a day challenge over on our Instagram @liveinnermost. We'd love to hear from you!

    References

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst. (2022, March 3). Meta-analysis of 15 studies reports new findings on how many daily walking steps needed for longevity benefit: Spoiler alert: It’s fewer than 10,000, especially for older adults. ScienceDaily. Click here.

    Product Spotlight

    Need Expert Advice?

    Other Insights

    7 Expert Gym Tips to See Faster Results at the Gym
    From the Bedroom to the Gym: Is Your Sex Life Affecting Your Workout Performance?
    The relationship between sex and workout performance is one that’s long been debated by scientists and fitness fanatics alike. It’s complicated and multifaceted, so answering the question of whether your sex life is affecting your training is difficult. That said, today we’re going to take a look at a variety of evidence, both academic and anecdotal, as well as several different scenarios and at least try to reduce some of the mystery around the subject. First, it helps to understand what’s actually happening to the body, both physically and psychologically, during both activities.   The Effects of Sex on the Body Sexual activity causes several changes to occur in the body:   Physical Changes That Occur During Sex During sexual activity and the lead up to it, the human body undergoes a process known as the sexual response cycle. This is the case for both males and females, though the cycle can be highly individual and may not be the same each time for each person. Describing the full sexual response cycle is beyond the scope of this article, however it consists of 4 phases: Desire Arousal Orgasm Resolution Factors such as elevated heart rate, increased blood flow and pressure and heightened muscle tension all come into play. If you’d like to read about the sexual response cycle in more detail, check out this great article from Cleveland Clinic.   Psychological Changes That Occur During Sex Several psychological changes occur both during and after sex. Most notable are the release of endorphins and oxytocin, which are associated with improved mood and a better sense of wellbeing. These are also responsible for reduced stress levels, which brings a multitude of additional benefits that are of particular interest to those of us participating in regular training and exercise. Cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress, is catabolic in high levels, meaning it can cause the breakdown of lean tissue. So, whilst it is unclear whether sex itself affects workout performance, the reduction in stress levels it may bring is definitely beneficial for preserving our results!   The Effects of Exercise and Training on the Body Exercise and training also cause the body to undergo a number of changes. These occur both during and after the physical activity. There are in fact a number of similarities in changes that happen during exercise and sex:   Physical Changes That Occur During Exercise The physical changes that happen in the body vary based on the type of exercise being undertaken, however, there are some that are common to exercise in general: Increased heart rate Increased blood flow, especially to the muscles Faster, deeper breathing due to additional oxygen needs Heightened activity within the circulatory, respiratory, musculoskeletal and endocrine systems A full summary of the changes that occur within these systems can be found here. More aerobically demanding exercise will, of course, place greater emphasis on the circulatory and respiratory systems as well as causing fat to be metabolised as an energy source. Resistance training, which often relies more heavily on the lactate and creatine phosphate energy systems, instead promotes greater muscular and endocrine (hormone) activity. Note the common physical changes between sex and exercise here, as they do crossover!   Psychological Changes That Occur During Exercise The psychological changes that occur during exercise are similar to those experienced during sexual activity and are mostly related to the release of endorphins and other ‘feelgood’ hormones. These help to regulate mood, and it is common knowledge that frequent exercise and leading an active, healthy lifestyle promotes a feeling of wellbeing.   Does Sex Affect Our Workouts? This is where things become complicated. Though extensive studies have been done on the subject, the results of these have varied massively. We must also take into account the experience of individuals, and this anecdotal evidence again has huge variance. Let’s look at both:   Sex and Training: What the Science Says Scientific studies on the relationship between sex and training are contradictory at best. There’s no denying the positive benefits of both activities, particularly from a psychological perspective, but as for the effect of sex on actual performance in the gym the results are inconclusive. A study, published in April 2021, by Kirecci, Albayrak and co. examined the effects of sexual activity of 50 men in the 24 hours prior to training on lower body strength. The study measured effects by having the men perform 3 separate squat sessions, each at the same time of day. Each of these sessions occurred after participating in or abstaining from sexual activity the night before. The men performed 5 sets of 5 repetitions of their maximum squat weight during these sessions and the difference in weight lifted was observed. The study concluded that ‘sexual intercourse within 24 hours before exercise [has a] detrimental effect on lower extremity muscle force, which suggests that restricting sexual activity before a short-term activity may be necessary.’ Aside from this study, most others found either no notable relationship between sex and athletic performance. A meta-analysis of 9 crossover studies, conducted by Zavorsky and Brooks and published on 16 September 2022, confirms this. The analysis concluded that ‘The results demonstrate that sexual activity within 30 min to 24 h before exercise does not appear to affect aerobic fitness, musculoskeletal endurance, or strength/power.’ This is perhaps more notable, because these studies incorporated different types of exercise and were not restricted purely to a strength/power based activity like squats.   Anecdotal Evidence: What About the Experiences of Real Gym Goers? The anecdotal evidence is, as expected, highly individualised. However, there tends to be a bias against the results of most studies, particularly in those participating in sports involving strength and aggression. For example, many fighters claim that they perform better when they abstain from sex in the days leading up to a contest. Similarly, bodybuilding forums are full of debate on this topic and many claim they note a significant decrease in motivation to train at maximum intensity after sexual activity. It has been hypothesised that this may be due to a downregulation in testosterone production after sex; during orgasm the mineral zinc is released in the body and this is also a precursor for natural testosterone production in the body and may, therefore, provide some reasoning as to the experience of many trainees.   Key Takeaways The relationship between sex and workout performance will always be a complicated one. The effects of one on the other in terms of physical fitness and, in particular, mental wellbeing, are clear, but when it comes to actual performance this appears to be highly individual. We’d advise doing what feels best for you but not worrying too much about it. Instead, prioritise your nutrition and make sure you’re fuelling your workouts properly. While you’re here, why not take a look at the Innermost range? We’re proud to be completely transparent about the ingredients in our products and we always ensure they’re of the highest quality. Check us out, and be sure to get in touch if you have any questions! Read more