New UK guidance: How many steps you actually need each day
Key Points
- 7,000 to 10,000 daily steps equals 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity for healthy older adults
- 4,500 to 5,500 steps a day improves health-related quality of life
- Above 7,000 steps a day supports better immune function
- 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day affects metabolic syndrome and weight maintenance
Between 7,000 and 10,000 steps a day delivers the equivalent of the recommended 30 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous activity for healthy older adults, according to refreshed UK physical activity guidelines published on Friday (10 July).
The UK Chief Medical Officers’ updated guidance put figures on daily step counts for different health outcomes, drawing on evidence for adults aged 65 and over.
It stated that 4,500 to 5,500 steps a day is associated with improved health-related quality of life, above 7,000 steps a day with better immune function, and 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day with an effect on metabolic syndrome and weight maintenance.
The figures give official UK backing to a more nuanced picture than the popular 10,000-step target, which originated as a marketing device rather than a scientific threshold. The guidance stated that pedometers and step counters “may be helpful to some older adults in tracking progress” towards the recommended activity levels.
The report recommends that older adults accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week, building up gradually from current levels, alongside strength, balance and flexibility activities on at least two days a week.
Those already regularly active can achieve the same benefits through 75 minutes of vigorous activity, according to the guidance.
The Chief Medical Officers, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Professor Sir Michael McBride, Professor Sir Gregor Smith and Professor Isabel Oliver, said any movement counts.
“It is now clear that even small amounts of physical activity produce important benefits compared to none, and the benefits steadily increase up to the recommended 150 minutes a week,” they said.
The guidance also removed the previous rule that activity only counted in bouts of 10 minutes or more, stating that bouts of any length contribute to the health benefits. This is particularly relevant to older adults, whose activity tends to accumulate sporadically through the day, according to the report.
Regular activity in older age is linked to reduced risk of falls, frailty, dementia and depression, with 30 minutes of daily moderate activity almost halving the odds of experiencing depression, the report stated.
