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For people who struggle to reach a high daily step count, how they walk those steps may matter, too.
New research from Monash University and the University of Sydney found that taking fewer daily steps at a faster pace, or more steps at a slower pace, was associated with a substantially lower risk of early death, with some combinations linked to reductions of up to 43%.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, could be particularly relevant for middle-aged and older adults who face barriers to increasing their daily activity, including limited time, disability or environmental constraints.
For nurses, the research offers a more nuanced approach to conversations about physical activity by considering both daily step count and walking pace rather than focusing on a single step target.
More Than the Number of Steps
Researchers analyzed data from 64,743 middle-aged participants in the UK Biobank who wore activity trackers for seven consecutive days between 2013 and 2015. The devices measured both the number and intensity of participants’ daily steps.
Over an average follow-up period of approximately eight years, 1,697 participants died from any cause, and 502 died from cardiovascular disease.
The researchers found that mortality risk was substantially lower among people who accumulated fewer than 5,000 steps a day but walked at a higher pace. Risk was also substantially lower among those taking 5,000 to 7,500 daily steps at a lower pace.
“We found that the risk was substantially lower among those achieving a higher stepping pace but fewer than 5000 daily steps,” lead author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, Director of the Monash Brain Park at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in the Monash School of Psychological Sciences, said.
“Similarly, the risk of early death was substantially reduced among those clocking up 5000 to 7500 daily steps but at a lower stepping pace.
“Our findings contribute to the evidence base for step-based approaches targeting daily step counts and stepping intensity to lower mortality risk, and may inform step-based interventions for middle-aged and older adults, particularly individuals with barriers to increasing daily step counts or stepping intensity.”
Because the research examined associations between participants’ activity patterns and subsequent mortality, the findings do not establish that a particular combination of steps and pace prevents early death.
Challenging the 10,000-Step Benchmark
The findings also suggest that 10,000 steps need not serve as a universal daily fitness goal.
Co-author Dr. Nicholas Koemel, Senior Research Fellow at the Monash School of Psychological Sciences, said the widely recognized number did not originate as an evidence-based fitness recommendation.
“That heavily quoted step target actually came from a 1960s Japanese pedometer campaign rather than from evidence,” Koemel said.
For patients who find 10,000 steps difficult or unrealistic, he said such a target can become discouraging.
“For a 65-year-old managing a knee issue, a carer with fragmented time, or a shift worker, a high step target can be a reason to give up rather than a reason to start.
“The important message is that every step counts, and how you take those steps can also matter. Someone walking 4000 steps a day who walks them with more purpose is doing something worthwhile, and someone who cannot walk quickly can still benefit by gradually accumulating more steps at a slower pace.”
What Does a Brisk Pace Look Like?
If pace matters, that raises a practical question: How fast is fast enough?
Co-author Associate Professor Matthew Ahmadi said no single walking speed applies to everyone because the same pace can represent very different levels of exertion depending on a person’s age and fitness.
“There is no single pace that suits everyone. A speed that feels very comfortable to a fit walker in their forties may be maximal intensity for a 70-year-old,” Ahmadi said.
Instead, he suggested paying attention to breathing and perceived exertion.
“The most practical test is also the simplest, which is to pay attention to your breathing: at a brisk pace that is maintained for at least a minute or so you should be breathing noticeably harder, feeling warmer, and still able to hold a conversation in short sentences, but you should not be able to sing comfortably.”
Consistency matters, too.
“The body responds to habitual patterns, not to irregular and infrequent effort, so what counts is what you do on most days over months and years, not a motivated fortnight,” Ahmadi said.
What Nurses Should Know
For nurses who counsel patients about physical activity, the study provides another way to frame daily movement for people who may see a high step target as unattainable.
Rather than focusing exclusively on reaching a particular number, the findings suggest that both step count and stepping intensity may be relevant when discussing physical activity. That could be particularly useful for middle-aged and older adults and others who face barriers to increasing either how much or how quickly they walk.
The study does not establish a step count or walking pace appropriate for every patient. But it does support a less all-or-nothing message about movement: Falling short of 10,000 steps does not mean the steps a person can take don’t matter.
