Health - recommended steps by age group

 

In various lifestyle magazines and health journals, the benefits of daily walking have often been cited with varying distances and number of steps mentioned. Good evidence and factual information is missing from many of the published articles leaving the reader wondering, how much should I do ? Research does exist and a summary of findings reveals there are some recommended step counts by age group -

Children and teens: 12,000 - 16,000 steps per day for growth and fitness (this would include playing sports so the number of steps would be easily achieved),

Adults under 60 years of age: 8,000 - 10,000 steps per day for optimal cardiovascular and metabolic health,

Adults over 60 years of age: 6,000 - 8,000 steps per day to reduce chronic disease and maintain mobility. The estimation of 3,000 steps per day to reduce the risk of Alzeheimers from the Harvard University study is also valid in this context.

Overall large scale studies have shown that 7,000 steps per day is an optimum level linked to significant reductions in mortality risk. This matches with epidemiologists' recommendations, highlighting a range of 6,000 - 8,000 steps as a method for reducing dementia risk with significant protection against memory and cognitive functional decline.