Whether pounding the pavements on your way to work, or pacing around the park, reaching your daily step goal has been hailed as the holy grail of micro fitness metrics — and let’s face it, the satisfaction you get when your Whoop or Oura says you’ve hit your step goal is pretty addictive.
10,000 steps has long been held up as the gold standard of how many to hit per day. However, now researchers have calculated that even 7,000 steps could be enough to protect health. Data published in the Lancet Public Health, based on findings from more than 160,000 adults, found that this many steps reduced the risk of a number of serious health conditions and death. Compared to those who walked 2,000 steps a day, people who did 7,000 had a 37 per cent reduction in risk of dying from cancer, and a 25 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
