Excitement about 10,000 steps a day: is it really worth counting?

“There is a scientific connection between not exercising and an increased risk of contracting various diseases and an increased risk of death.
Many studies show that daily exercise, including walking, has a positive effect on well-being, health and body weight,” write Carina Uihlein (43) and Marcus Schmidt (34), two sports scientists from the Hirslanden Check-up Centre. They continue: “Metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are less common in active people.”

Walking can help you lose weight

In fact, adding up steps can also help you lose weight: “Every physical activity, every additional step, even using a standing desk compared to sitting, increases calorie consumption. This affects calorie balance and ultimately weight. However, when it comes to weight loss, what is important is primarily the total calorie consumption or calorie deficit: “Proper nutrition and the amount of calories consumed are the determining factors. Running and walking increase calorie consumption. By exercising, we burn carbohydrates and fat. “The rate of fat metabolism is slightly higher at lower intensities.”

Although you burn more calories while jogging because your muscles and cardiovascular system have to work harder, this also causes more shock load on the joints: “A healthy person can run without any problems, but if you are overweight or If you have joint problems, you may burn more calories while running. You can go for a brisk walk or other sports are more suitable. “Cycling or swimming in daily life is much more comfortable for the joints.”

How often should you exercise per week?

The Federal Office for Sports generally recommends 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise or 1.25 hours of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. “Moderate intensity refers to daily exercises such as brisk walking, gardening, cycling. You should sweat slightly or be out of breath from time to time. Higher intensity refers to endurance training. “The aim is to improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance performance, in particular,” say two experts. «Ideally, you should do something challenging and strenuous two to three times a week. Daily exercise and walking are not strenuous enough to achieve this.”

However, walking should not be taken lightly and can also have a positive effect on the psyche. That’s why experts recommend walking outdoors or in the sun whenever possible: “This can also have a stress-relieving effect.”

The story behind this 10,000 step mark

But two sports scientists at the Hirslanden Clinic explain that the magic limit of 10,000 steps a day has no deeper meaning: “The number 10,000 comes from an advertisement by a Japanese pedometer manufacturer. As part of the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the aim was to encourage the public to exercise.”

“At that time, there was no scientific basis for step count,” Uihlein and Schmidt continue. “The device was able to record a maximum of 10,000 steps and then jumped to zero.” Today, scientific studies show that a health-promoting effect occurs even with significantly lower steps.