Ten thousand steps has been touted as the daily goal to hit to get and stay healthy for years, but not everyone has the time to complete this daily feat — which takes about two hours per day.
If you find yourself walking in circles around your kitchen to squeeze in those last minute steps, you may benefit from these four less time-consuming alternatives recommended by doctors.
The figure of 10,000 steps per day, equivalent to five miles per day, is seen as the sweet spot for boosting health, with studies suggesting it can help with everything from weight loss to reducing the risk of illnesses like heart disease and dementia.
But Americans only walk about 5,000 to 7,000 steps a day on average, statistics suggest, with just 17 percent of people reaching the 10,000-a-day goal.
Below, DailyMail.com highlights four expert-recommended alternatives that may be more every-day achievable.
Experts have revealed four hacks for getting the health benefits of 10,000 steps per day without walking the nearly five miles
Take the stairs
Walking up five flights of stairs per day may have a similar health benefit to walking 10,000 steps per day, doctors say.
In a UK study that tracked 450,000 people for 12 years, researchers found stair climbing was linked to a nearly 20 percent lower risk of heart disease.
Dr Lu Qi, an obesity expert at Tulane University in Louisiana, said: ‘Short bursts of high-intensity stair climbing are a time-efficient way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lipid profile, especially among those unable to achieve the current physical activity recommendations.
‘These findings highlight the potential advantages of stair climbing as a primary preventive measure for cardiovascular disease in the general population.’
The scientists considered a flight of stairs as being equivalent to 10 steps. They said people could climb all five flights at once or at different times throughout the day.
Climbing stairs prompts a rise in heart rate, improving blood circulation and cardiovascular health.
Some studies also suggest it can help strengthen the heart, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Stair climbing also engages the muscles in the legs, which can improve strength and overall body endurance.
Exercise for less than half an hour
Cycling or jogging for less than half an hour every day has similar health benefits to the step ‘sweet spot,’ scientists say.
A meta-analysis involving 11,000 people published in 2023 found those who exercised for just 22 minutes per day had a 40 percent lower risk of death compared to those who did not exercise at all.
The participants, based in Europe and the US, were doing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity — such as jogging, cycling and swimming.
For comparison, previous studies have shown walking up to 10,000 steps a day cut the risk of death by 42 percent for those in their 60s and older.
The scientists wrote in their conclusion: ‘Higher [activity] time was associated with lower mortality risk irrespective of the amount of sedentary time.’
Exercise cuts the risk of many diseases including heart disease, diabetes, obesity and even cancer.
It does this by improving the cardiovascular system and the function of the heart and lungs, reducing the risk of disease.
Walk 5,000 to 7,000 fast steps a day
Walking fewer steps but at a more rapid pace can also prompt the same exercise benefits, scientists say.
That’s according to a meta-analysis involving 78,500 people carried out by researchers in Denmark and Australia.
The study found walking 9,800 steps a day at a casual pace was optimal for lowering the risk of dementia, cutting it in half.
But doing just 6,300 steps at a fast speed made people 57 percent less likely to develop the condition. For power walkers, the risk was up to 62 percent lower.
Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, senior author of the study and public health expert at the University of Sydney, said: ‘Step count is easily understood and widely used by the public to track activity levels thanks to the growing popularity of fitness trackers and apps but rarely do people think about the pace of their steps.’
Dr Matthew Ahmadi, co-author and researcher at the university, added: ‘The take-home message here is that for protective health benefits people could not only ideally aim for 10,000 steps a day but also aim to walk faster.’
Walking at a fast pace was defined as walking at least 40 steps per minute.
A separate study involving 3,400 people found walking rapidly for 21 minutes — equivalent to nearly 3,000 steps — also improved health compared to no activity. They defined rapid walking as 100 steps in a minute.
Joggers take about 150 steps per minute, while runners do around 170 to 180 steps per minute.
Dr John Schuna, a kinesiologist at the University of Oregon who led the paper, said: ‘Some physical activity is better than none, and typically more is better than less.
‘When it comes to steps, more is better than fewer, and steps at higher cadences for a significant amount of time are beneficial.
‘A good target for healthy adults is 150 minutes per week spent at 100 or more steps per minute.
‘And in terms of time spent sedentary, less is better — you want to spend as little time not moving as possible within reason.’
Get a standing desk
Experts in weight loss say purchasing a standing desk could help to boost your step count.
Doctors at Midsouth Bariatrics, in Tennessee, say: ‘Investing in a standing desk is an excellent way to increase the number of steps you take while still being productive.
‘The elevated position allows for more natural movement, which can easily add up to several hundred extra steps each day.
‘Plus, your body posture and energy levels can improve significantly as well.’
Doctors argue people who use standing desks are more likely to take extra steps because they are already standing up.
This can help to easily push them closer to the 10,000 steps per day target count.
