Since smart watches have become a more popular purchase, the amount of steps we walk each day has become a common comparison discussion. In particular, one number seems to be used & aimed for more than any other. I believe having a step count is a fantastic way to increase calories burnt during a day and therefore I welcome the “How many steps have you burnt today?” or “How many steps should I aim for?” discussion.
So this leads perfectly into why 10,000 steps?
Initially the concept of walking 10,000 steps was a created by a Japanese company selling a personalised fitness pedometers. The pedometer was named Manpo-kei which translaters to “10,000 steps meter”. This was used as a marketing slogan aimed at helping people lose weight by tracking steps.
Does this work?
Walking further will increase your total daily calories burnt & therefore improve your chances of losing weight. 10,000 Steps is roughly 5 miles of walking and they estimate that will burn between 400-500 calories. If you were to reach 10,000 steps per day (which in turn would burn 500 calories) this would give you a weekly total of 3,500 calories burnt. Which is the equivalent of burning 1 lbs of fat.
Increasing your step count, whether you chose 7,000 or 15,000 steps per day, will help you both improve your cardiovascular fitness, mental wellbeing and can help you lose weight.