Is 10,000 steps a day too much?

According to the website - seniors should aim for 7000 and hopefully increase it to 10000.
However, I’m sure any exercise/steps are better than none and the old adage of ‘use it, or lose it’ is very relevant.
A friend reckons to add on an extra 1000 steps for around the house and garden, when you may not be carrying your phone.

The latest study suggested that 5000 was good enough. Suits me. I usually beat that.

10,000 steps was thought up by a Japanese company because the product they were pushing, I forget what it was, had a name that sounded like that.

Over the last few months I have seen more and more articles saying that it is a meaningless target, with no research data to support it.

There was an article in the Daily Mail to day, saying if you must have number, 4,000 is quite enough, but essentially forget the daily steps idea completely and just go out and have a 5 or 10 minute walk and gently work up to half an hour a day. Anything beyond that is certainly good for you, but less is not a disaster.

singingnutty, I think you should do what suits you best, with an aim to gradually increase it. I have a dog to walk, too, and usually do more than 10,000 - but not all at once. An early morning and an evening dog walk, together with being out and about, most days, all adds up.

Do what you’re comfortable with.
Don’t forget Jim Fixx , who invented jogging died while jogging.

When I don’t manage to get out for my daily walk, I go onto the Internet and type in ‘Walk a mile in 15 minutes’. There are plenty of videos to choose from. I switch off the sound and play upbeat music on Alexa. EG Sharp dressed man by ZZTop and Bang bang by Ariana Grande. You don’t need much space to do the routine.

I have arthritic knees and if I manage 4,000 steps in a day I'm happy, any more and I can hardly walk the next day. There was a news item several weeks ago that said it wasn't necessary to do more than 3-4000 steps a day for it to have a positive effect on your health.

Blimey, I do 10000 steps before breakfast and I’m 68. Then 4000 down to the town for supplies and another 10000 for my afternoon stomp. If Ed don’t use what we have, then we lose it

MissChateline

Blimey, I do 10000 steps before breakfast and I’m 68. Then 4000 down to the town for supplies and another 10000 for my afternoon stomp. If Ed don’t use what we have, then we lose it

Goodness, unless you take much smaller steps than average you must walk 12 miles a day at least! That would be way too much for many if not most people.

I'm of the "use it or lose it" mindset. Of course, some people cannot exercise for valid reasons but I am fortunate enough to be able to prioritise it. I aim for 5 or 6 miles a day, plus some core strength and stretching exercises. My blood pressure is normal, my weight is good, I have a lot of energy. I can only think this is a good thing.

We have a friend of 92 who still walks two or three miles a day and does voluntary work as well. No point in giving up if you don't have to.

I find walking without purpose difficult to do. I go to the gym twice a week and attend a joint pain class there. We use the treadmill and do other cardio exercises along with strength training . I also attend 2 seated exercise classes both 45 minutes long. I find this far more enjoyable. I just can't walk far due to arthritis. Once a week I use my wheeled walker and manage a 20min walk to the local library and then 20mins back home. I do have to have a sit down when I get there and sometimes on the way home. To be honest don't think I have time to walk 10,000 steps.

I find 7000 to be a good day for me. But I still work, sitting at t desk for 8 hrs, so I have a limited time to get in those steps!

On a weekend or holiday I will get more. I think it's more important to stay busy throughout the day, to get the heart rate up several times per day, rather than get all your exercise in one longer time. My sedentary lifestyle (desk work) is not very healthy.

I’ve just finished the Dementia UK Summer Steps Challenge, a million steps in three months, so an average of 10700 a day. I can’t say I’m sorry it’s done, as my usual is around 8000 and I’ve found I’ve had less time and inclination to do other exercise - yogalates, weights etc. My bingo wings need attention!

I read recently that two brisk walks a day of 10 minutes each are just as beneficial as 10000 steps. Right or not, who knows?

If you do want to pep up some of your walking though, I’d recommend audio books or podcasts. There are plenty of free ones to choose from.

I find even reading about all these steps exhausting!😀

If I get the urge to do some exercise, I lie down until the urge goes away.

My goal is 8,000

I think it is good to set a goal so you have something to work towards for your personal fitness but 10,000 may be too many for your age. My goal is 8,000 and I am approaching 50

We usually try for 3-4,000 per day and that suits us. My husband is in his 80 s so I reckon that’s ok. Sometimes we do more but then we need a nap!

I had a phone physiotherapy appointment yesterday re my spinal arthritis. The physio said daily exercise of course, do what's enjoyable, forget about steps and numbers and don't Boom and Bust.i.e. doing a lot one day getting exhausted and then doing nothing.

It has long been disproved that 10000 steps is the required amount. As MOnica says, it is an arbitrary number thought up by the marketing department of a Japanese company. Common sense should make us realise that one size can't possibly fit all.

Having said that, when I see the number of old folks (including my parents and those of various friends and acquaintances) who have had falls and gone to hospital where they picked up infections and deteriorated rapidly, often eventually never leaving the hospital, I am sure that it is very important we walk and exercise our leg muscles to prevent such falls in later life.

MerylStreep

Do what you’re comfortable with.
Don’t forget Jim Fixx , who invented jogging died while jogging.

Ah yes, but if he hadn’t been a keen jogger he might have died at 32 instead of 52.

One thing I think being older brings is the wisdom to understand that the latest fad/fashion can usually be totally ignored without any harm done whatsoever.

I think the general advise to keep mentally and physically active is sound but this as far as I’m concerned does not mean going to mind numbingly boring gyms or tramping out for miles - to me it means keep moving -

so I have an hours stroll with the dog every day, and occasionally more, I garden most days, I housework, I potter, I enjoy! And I keep my mind active by my political interests and reading and learning new stuff every day.

Further than that I will not do! Life is too short to worry about such mundane things. Mum lived to 101 and I doubt she had ever heard of 10000 steps😄😄

The size of steps and other facts matter too.
DGS walking the 2.7 miles to our house takes more steps than I do walking the same distance to his house, probably because most of the way to our house is uphill. Going the other way, mostly downhill takes him far fewer steps.
On holiday this year we walked an average of 7 miles per day, (over 10,000 steps, but the road into town was flat and lined with pretty houses. Walking down/up hill the shorter distance into town here doesn’t have the same appeal. Thank goodness for our dog.

I don't worry about number of steps but I do focus on having about an hours exercise of some sort every day. I met up with a younger friend yesterday for a walk and realised her idea of a "walk" was very different to mine as she walks at half the speed that I do. I try to increase my pace going up a hill, if I'm out with the dog off the lead, I will jog up a hill whereas my friend needed a rest part the way up. She's a regular walker, goes out as part of a group but I think they "stroll", so for me it's not really about distance it's more about intensity and effort. I do a couple of pilates sessions weekly to try to keep me supple with a strong core as I'm still a keen rider which gives me plenty of aerobic exercise.

I'm finding it more difficult now. My back affects my walking and at 86 I would think 10,000 is unrealistic. So I'll just do what I can. It's sad though because I used to love walking.

I walk quite a bit as I’ve got a dog, but don’t count my steps, I think the important thing is to keep your leg muscles as strong as you can so you are stable. A static bike is good for this too. My mum is very elderly now, and she’s struggling with walking so she uses one of those chair exercisers, although she hates it.