6,000 to 8,000 steps per day: the Lancet Public Health (2022) found this range helped lower mortality risks for adults sixty years and older. The sweet spot appears to be 4,500 steps to 7,500 steps for adults 61 and older, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Every step counts. A 2023 Northwestern Medicine study found that older adults (people aged 60 and older) who walk 6,000 to 9,000 steps per day had a 40% to 50% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack or stroke, compared to those who took 2,000 steps per day.
Several studies suggest that with more steps per day, all-cause mortality risk (risk of death from any cause) progressively decreases before leveling off at: 7,000-10,000 steps per day for adults aged 18-59 years. 6,000-8,000 steps per day for adults aged 60+ years. 7,500 steps per day for women aged 62-101 years.
Generally speaking, walking fewer than 5,000 steps per day is considered sedentary. Being sedentary is linked to various health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.
Seniors should aim for about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, similar to younger adults. This translates to walking around 3 to 4 kilometers daily, spread over the week. Regular walking helps in managing chronic conditions, improving balance, and enhancing mental health.
The sweet spot appears to be 4,500 steps to 7,500 steps for adults 61 and older, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
'If your goal is weight loss, I'd recommend aiming for 5,000-7,000 steps performed at an elevated or brisk pace,' Laidler says. Why? Because speeding up your stroll and walking uphill will increase your heart rate—and that's when you begin to burn calories.
Or even 15,000? Depending on which research study you read, steps-per-day recommendations are all over the place. The average U.S. adult takes 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day, which is the equivalent of about 1.5 to 2 miles. Walking less than 5,000 steps each day is considered sedentary.
As with all of our muscles, if you don't use them, you lose muscle capacity. The muscles of your feet, ankles and lower legs become weaker with inactivity, causing muscular tension, stiffness and aches.
Seniors 65 years and older have an average of 20.7 remaining teeth. Older seniors, Black and Hispanic seniors, current smokers, and those with lower incomes and less education have fewer remaining teeth.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), healthy seniors should walk 7,000 – 10,000 steps per day.
Remember: 1500 steps equals about 15 minutes of walking & 3000 steps equals about 30 minutes of walking. Your aim for week 1 is to add in an extra 1500 steps on three or more days this week to your baseline steps.
Normative data indicates that 1) healthy older adults average 2,000-9,000 steps/day, and 2) special populations average 1,200-8,800 steps/day.
How to Get Your Steps In. Don't think you have to get all your steps in at once for it to count. If you walk in small increments throughout the day, you'll not only add to your step count as much as if you walked all at once, but you'll also break up the times during the day that you're sitting.
Assuming an average step length of about 2.5 feet, 6,000 steps would be roughly equivalent to walking around 3 miles. Therefore, walking 6,000 steps could burn around 300 calories for someone weighing 160 pounds.
Using 2,000 steps in one mile as an average benchmark, 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles.
Walking in place does contribute towards overall step count.
5000-7499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/exercise and might be considered 'low active'; (iii).
To lose 10 pounds, aim for 12,000 to 14,000 steps a day, combined with a balanced diet and other exercises. How many steps a day to lose 20 pounds? For losing 20 pounds, increase your daily step count to 14,000 to 16,000 steps, along with healthy eating habits.
This movement—in which you lower your body and then raise it back up—works all of the major muscle groups in the upper and lower body. “The squat is the most important exercise for seniors,” Eric Daw, a personal trainer specializing in helping older adults and founder of Omni-Fitt in Toronto, Canada, told AARP.
Yes, you can still gain muscles if you are over 70 years old. Many forms of exercise and nutritional considerations backed by research can help those over 70 build muscle mass and improve muscle tone. However, it is essential to adapt exercises according to your health condition and physical limitations.