Daily exercise improves our well-being and our health. Here you can find out why you don’t necessarily have to walk 10,000 steps a day and how you can integrate more exercise into your everyday life.
Exercise is essential for our health and the rule of thumb is that 10,000 steps per day are necessary to stay fit. In fact, on average we barely achieve 5,000 steps a day. Depending on the job, the number of daily steps can vary greatly – especially in office jobs, compensation through exercise after sitting for a long time is highly recommended.
Many people check their pedometer app several times a day to check how far they are from the supposedly magical goal of 10,000 steps. This requirement is based on a marketing gimmick and has no scientific basis.
10,000 steps: marketing trick
It is a common belief that we should walk 10,000 steps every day. Depending on your height, this corresponds to a distance of six to eight kilometers. But what we mean is not the classic Sunday walk through the forest, but rather exercise in everyday life. This affects couch potatoes as well as athletes.
The idea of 10,000 steps a day originally came from a marketing campaign in 1964. It was the time when the Olympic Games were taking place in Japan. Inspired by the atmosphere of the Summer Games, the Japanese wanted to measure their own athleticism with pedometers.
To set itself apart from the competition, the Japanese company Yamasa Tokei gave its pedometers the name Manpo-Kei. Literally translated, it means “10,000 steps” – because 10,000 was the largest number the device could display.
How many steps do we need to stay fit?
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Even if the 10,000 steps a day is based on a marketing ploy, the idea behind it is not fundamentally bad. However, according to Ingo Froböse, professor of prevention and rehabilitation in sport at the German Sport University Cologne and head of an institute for exercise therapy, not everyone has to walk 10,000 steps a day to stay fit. This value is set too high for many people. In normal everyday life, without targeted exercise, most people do not achieve this value.
Instead of fixating on a rigid guideline, he recommends a more individual approach. First, you should observe how many steps you manage in everyday life, for example with the help of a pedometer app. You can then try to increase this value by around 3,000 steps. So someone who previously only walks 3,000 steps a day doubles their exercise. If you can already manage 7,000 steps, you can set your sights on 10,000 steps. If you would like to learn more about Ingo Froböse’s alternative recommendations instead of the 10,000 step rule, take a look at this article:
A study by the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology also questions the 10,000 step rule. According to the results, around 4,000 steps per day are enough to significantly reduce the general risk of death. The risk of cardiovascular disease can even be reduced by taking around 2,400 steps per day.
Why getting enough exercise is important
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According to Prof. Christine Joisten, head of the exercise and health promotion department at the Cologne Sports University, exercise in everyday life, at work and in leisure time contributes to the prevention of lifestyle diseases and non-communicable diseases. These include cancer, cardiovascular diseases and risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s as well as orthopedic, rheumatological and mental illnesses can also be prevented through exercise. “This has an analogous effect on chronically ill patients and, above all, contributes to quality of life,” explains the doctor.
But there are even more reasons to be active every day:
- The back muscles are often weakened by sitting. Walking, running or hiking can help strengthen muscles and prevent or relieve pain.
- Walking every day increases physical performance. We feel fitter and more resilient.
- Exercising in the fresh air in particular strengthens our immune system.
- If you exercise regularly, you will prevent or relieve body aches.
- Walking stimulates fat metabolism. In this way, obesity is prevented and you can even lose excess kilos.
- If you get enough exercise, your risk of developing diabetes decreases.
- A lot of exercise in everyday life helps prevent heart and circulatory problems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an exercise routine for adults between 18 and 64 years of age of at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intensive endurance activity per week, plus strength exercises for all major muscle groups at least twice a week. For older adults aged 65 and over, the same recommendations apply, supplemented by exercises to improve balance and coordination.
This is how exercise keeps you mentally fit
Sufficient exercise is not only important for our body, but also for our mind:
- Exercise also boosts oxygen supply to the brain. In this way you can increase your concentration and be more productive.
- Sufficient exercise ensures the release of happiness hormones. You’ll be in a better mood and may even be able to prevent depression.
- Through exercise you can reduce negative emotions and stress.
How to integrate exercise into your everyday life
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Because of your everyday obligations, the day may fly by without you being able to exercise constantly. We’ll tell you how you can still manage to integrate more steps into your everyday life:
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Leave the car parked. Cars emit emissions, generate noise and pollute the environment. They also tempt us to drive short distances instead of running them. If the distance allows, it’s better to walk or cycle. For longer distances, use public transport. These are not only much more environmentally friendly – you can take extra steps on the way to or from the stations.
- You can easily move more if you avoid elevators and escalators. Climbing stairs also trains the butt muscles. Scientists from the USA also focused on climbing stairs in a study published in the journal Atherosclerosis. By regularly climbing stairs you can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The researchers recommend going up at least 50 steps a day.
- Spend your lunch break outside in the fresh air instead of in the kitchenette.
- Go for a walk with your friends instead of going to the café. By the way, you don’t have to go without a coffee to go. However, disposable coffee cups are a huge environmental sin because they produce even more waste. It’s better to choose a thermal mug made of sustainable materials such as glass or porcelain (for example from the Avocadostore).
- Spend your free time outside. Try to take a 30-minute walk in nature every day. This way you have the greatest positive effect on your psyche. Listen to audio books or podcasts if just walking is too boring for you.
According to Prof. Christine Joisten, any form of exercise is good as long as it is adapted to your individual state of health. She also recommends dancing, strength training with rubber bands or light weights, yoga, or gardening.
Do fitness trackers and apps make sense?
Fitness trackers and apps have become widespread and offer many people an easy way to monitor their physical activity. They can help increase motivation and set goals. But are they really necessary to motivate yourself to exercise more?
Christine Joisten personally thinks highly of it because it makes movement visible. Even the smallest progress, such as 500 to 1,000 additional steps a day, can have a positive effect. However, if goals are not achieved, it can be frustrating.
While Prof. Joisten sees the advantages of fitness apps, Prof. Ingo Froböse advises against relying exclusively on them. He emphasizes that you can pay attention to the distance covered even without a pedometer and that although exercise apps want to give you a feeling for your own body, you can also feel it yourself without an app. The body automatically shows when you have been too inactive – through complaints such as muscle and joint pain or fatigue.
Ultimately, everyone has to decide for themselves whether they want to use a fitness app or whether they would rather trust their own body feeling.
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Edited by Melanie Grünauer
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