Column: Get in step with reasonable walking goals that deliver health benefits

Virtually everyone knows that physical activity is an essential component of a healthful lifestyle. But how much and what kinds of activity can make a difference? Do you need a gym membership? Run marathons? Lift weights? Although all of these approaches have benefits, there is one valuable exercise that all of us do every day — at least, if we can walk.

Question: Walking is well established as a beneficial activity. But how much walking does it take to benefit health?

Answer: You may have heard that 10,000 steps a day, equivalent to about 5 miles of walking, are the suggested goal for health promotion, depending on the length of your stride. It seems, however, that this number originated from a Japanese company’s promotion of a pedometer. While 10,000 daily steps is indeed a laudable goal, many people find it challenging to fit that much walking into their day.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst conducted a study to identify the amount of walking required to provide health benefits. It included 2,100 men and women ages 38 to 50 of mixed ethnicities. Each person wore a pedometer daily for about one year and documented the number of steps taken each day. Participants were then followed for just over 10 years to document any mortality. Unfortunately, during that time, 79 of the participants died.

When researchers analyzed their data, they found that those who averaged at least 7,000 steps a day had a 50% to 70% lower risk of dying during the 10.8-year follow­-up period. It didn’t seem to matter how fast people walked.

The good news is that walking 7,000 steps a day (about 3.5 miles) is a reasonable goal and has significant health benefits. And, this doesn’t mean you need find a 3.5-mile route to walk. It just means that your daily steps add up to at least 7,000. The goal includes all the incidental walking throughout the day.

Q: How can you keep track of your steps?

A: Fortunately, there are more ways than ever to keep track. There are many inexpensive pedometers that can do the job of detecting your steps, as well as a wide variety of smart wristwatches and fitness trackers with pedometer functions that work well. Smartphones have pedometer apps, though these require carrying your phone on your body all day.

Q: Is it possible to walk 7,000 steps during a pandemic while sheltering inside?

A: At the age of 88, one of our mothers chalked up 8,000 steps a day doing simple household activities — and this was after a hip replacement!

Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dobbs also works with University Health Services.