Physical Wellness

How Many Steps In A Day to Lose Weight: 10,000 Steps May Not Be Enough

By Jenny Dabon | Update Date: Apr 08, 2017 11:12 AM EDT

A recent research reveals how many steps in a day to lose weight are needed to make walking more effective. Dr. William Tigbe found out that a person actually needed up to 15,000 steps a day to actually see results.

It has long been known that people need to take 10,000 steps a day to be healthy. However, this recommendation actually did not start from a scientific point of view, but the studies detailing its results showed it has beneficial effects on the health.

Is 10,000 Steps A Day Too Much or Not Enough?

The idea from the pedometer sold in Japan during the '60s then grew more popular as people made the number their benchmark goal to reach. People were able to reap off fruits of their efforts, too, as studies revealed the activity has lowered blood pressure and glucose levels.

Meanwhile, a recent study conducted by Dr. William Tigbe on the International Journal of Obesity declared how 10,000 steps are not enough. They were able to gather the information from following 55 office workers who are mostly stuck on their desks and 56 mail employees whose work required more mobility according to Body and Soul.

The 56 mail employees easily reached the 11km per day mark and were found to be healthier. Meanwhile, the office workers are found to be linked with higher cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) with a slower metabolism.

The study answers the question of how many steps in a day to lose weight is needed to be achieved which is 15,000 steps. This translates to more or less 11km, compared to the 10,000 steps that only covers roughly 8km.

However, it is worth noting that while these number of steps will be useful to set goals for one's self, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only recommends people to engage 150 minutes of moderate activity each week. That means it is enough for a person to do at least 7,000 to 8,000 steps each day.

Ultimately, each person differs from another and their goals and intentions vary. The exact number of how many steps a day to lose weight must be done should not be something to stress over as long as the person is doing more activity than they did before by increasing duration or intensity.

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