Walking regularly has many benefits.It's an easy and cost-effective form of physical activity. Additionally, taking enough steps each day could benefit your health by reducing your risk of depression, helping with weight management, and improving brain health, bone health and overall quality of life ().
In recent years, walking 10 steps per day has become a popular recommendation used to promote regular physical activity.
But you may be wondering why exactly 10 steps are recommended and whether this guideline can help you achieve your fitness goals.
This article takes a closer look at daily step recommendations and how many calories you burn doing 10 steps.
Why is it important to take 10 steps?
For many people, walking 10 steps is about 000 miles (5 kilometers).
The specific number of 10 can be attributed to a slogan used by walking clubs in Japan as early as the 000s (, ).
Additionally, current research also supports the claim that walking 10 steps is good for overall health ().
In a study of 35 adults with a score of 31,7 to 44,9, participants received dietary advice and gradually increased their daily steps until they reached 10. After the 000-month intervention, the Participants' BMI significantly decreased by 6% ().
Other body measurements also improved.
That said, this study did not differentiate the effects of dietary advice from those of walking. Therefore, it is not possible to attribute the decrease in BMI to walking alone.
Summary
Taking 10 steps a day is not an official health recommendation, but it has been shown to be beneficial for weight loss and overall health.
How many calories does 10 steps burn?
Perhaps surprisingly, it's not easy to measure exactly how many calories you burn by taking 10 steps.
In fact, every person probably burns every time they take these steps, because the number of calories you burn through physical activity is affected by many factors.
Weight
It has long been believed that one of the main factors affecting the number of calories you burn during physical activity is body height and weight (, ).
Because it takes more energy to move a larger body than to move a smaller body, the theory is that more calories are burned during the movement of a larger body ().
However, new research suggests that after adjusting for body weight, the number of calories burned through physical activity in people with higher body weights may not be higher after all ().
Therefore, more research is needed to determine how weight affects the number of calories burned during stages.
Pace and terrain
Other factors can affect how many calories you burn taking 10 steps and on what type of surface.
For example, if you walk briskly uphill at a pace of 5 miles (8 kilometers) per hour, you could burn more than 7 calories per minute.
On the other hand, if you walk leisurely downhill at a pace of 3 to 4 miles (5 to 6 kilometers) per hour, you could burn between 3,5 and 7 calories per minute ().
A study of young adults found that walking 10000 steps at a pace of 6 kilometers per hour would burn on average 153 more calories than walking the same distance at 3 kilometers per hour ().
Genetic
An often overlooked factor that contributes to the number of calories you burn is genetics (,, , ).
One study measured calories burned during physical activity in 8 pairs of twins over 2 weeks and concluded that genetic differences accounted for 72% of the variance in calories burned during physical activity in daily life ().
Additionally, a study in rats found that consistently active, high-capacity runners transmitted more heat into their muscles during physical activity, which leads, compared to low-capacity runners who were less active ().
Still, some of the research on this topic is older, and more recent studies are needed to understand how genetics influence the number of calories you burn.
summary
The number of calories you burn taking 10 steps is likely affected by factors like weight, genetics, pace, and the terrain you walk on.
How to estimate calories burned
One of the best ways to calculate how many calories you burn by taking 10 steps is to use an equation that considers your:
- weight
- exercise intensity
- duration of exercise
A simple equation that considers these factors that you can use to calculate your calories burned while walking – and for other exercises – is ():
- calories burned per minute = 0,0175 x metabolic equivalent of task (MET) x weight in kilograms
To use this equation you will need to:
1. Determine the MET of your activity
MET stands for. A MET represents the rate at which you burn calories while engaging in a certain physical activity. Different activities at different intensities have their own MET equivalent ().
A list of common evidence-based MET equivalents can be found ().
For walking, an average MET equivalent ranges from 2,0 to 10,0 depending on speed and terrain ().
2. Calculate your weight in kilograms
If you're used to calculating your weight in pounds, it's easy to convert your number to kilograms.
- weight in pounds / 2,2 = weight in kilograms
3. Take note of the number of minutes of 10 steps
Since this equation calculates calories burned per minute, you need to multiply the result by the total number of minutes it took you to complete the 10 steps to determine the total number of calories you burned.
For example, if it took you 1,5 hours (90 minutes) to walk 10 steps, your final equation would look like this:
- calories burned = 0,0175 x MET x weight in kilograms x 90 (minutes)
4. Plug your data into the equation.
Once you've determined your MET, your weight in kilograms, and the total number of minutes it took you to walk 10 steps, you can plug your data into the equation and complete your estimate.
Here are some examples of how the calories you burn can vary based on body weight and step intensity. In these examples, it is assumed that each person walked for 1 hour (60 minutes) regardless of speed.
| 2,0 mph (3,2 km/h) / 2,8 MET | 3,0 mph (4,8 km/h) / 4.3 MET | 4,0 mph (6,4 km/h) / 5,0 MET | 5,0 mph (8 km/h) / 8.3 MET | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 books (59 kg) | 173 calories | 266 calories | 309 calories | 514 calories |
| 160 books (73 kg) | 214 calories | 329 calories | 383 calories | 636 calories |
| 190 books (86 kg) | 253 calories | 388 calories | 451 calories | 749 calories |
| 220 books (100 kg) | 294 calories | 451 calories | 525 calories | 872 calories |
summary
You can easily estimate how many calories you burn by taking 10 steps with a simple equation that takes into account your weight, walking speed and intensity, and the time it took you to do 000 not.
Will 10 Steps Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals?
Overall, taking 10 steps a day seems to be a way to improve overall health and well-being.
Research on walking programs suggests that it is a safe and effective exercise that can help with weight loss and improve overall health (, , , , ).
However, walking 10 steps a day may not be suitable for everyone, for example due to lack of time or joint problems. That said, even walking fewer than 000 steps per day has been shown to have benefits (, , , ).
A study in women found that a 12-week walking program in which participants walked for 50 to 70 minutes 3 days a week could improve blood markers of insulin resistance ().
Current recommendations suggest walking for at least 30 minutes at least 5 days a week. Taking 10 steps a day is one way to achieve this goal (, ).
summary
Taking 10 steps a day could help you meet your weekly physical activity recommendations. However, taking a number of steps each day is even more beneficial to your health than taking none at all.
The essential
Taking 10 steps a day can help you get the recommended 000 minutes at least 30 days a week.
Still, taking 10 steps a day may not be realistic for everyone. Plus, fewer steps can further improve your health.
The number of calories you burn by taking 10000 steps varies from person to person – and even from day to day – as factors like body weight, genetics and walking speed could increase or decrease the number of calories burned.
To estimate how many calories you burned, use an equation that takes into account your body weight, the intensity of the walk, and the time it took you to complete the 10000 steps.
Overall, regular walking can deliver – whether you take 10 steps or less.
