Walking 10,000 steps day might not matter if you don’t do this one thing, according to an exercise expert

In a world where most people sit down to work, travel and relax, daily step goals can be a simple and effective way to increase your activity levels. But you might not reap all the rewards of walking 10,000 steps a day if you don’t consider another key factor: cadence, AKA how many steps you take per minute.

If you want to enjoy maximum benefits, walking at a pace of 100-plus steps per minute and maintaining a higher daily step count is the way to go, according to walking expert Dr Elroy Aguiar. His team’s research, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found this particular cadence was a good indicator of “moderate-intensity” exercise.