Do You Need to Walk Further – or Could You Walk a Little Faster?

We often hear that we should be aiming for 10,000 steps a day to stay fit and healthy. But for many of us, fitting that number of steps around work, family and everyday commitments simply isn’t realistic.

The good news is that research increasingly suggests that how we walk may be just as important as how far we walk.

It’s Not Just About the Number of Steps

The familiar 10,000-step target isn’t actually an official NHS recommendation. In fact, the British Heart Foundation explains that the figure originally came from a Japanese marketing campaign in the 1960s.

Research has since shown that health benefits can be achieved at considerably lower step counts. For adults aged 60 and over, one large review found the greatest improvements were seen between approximately 6,000 and 10,000 steps per day, with benefits beginning at much lower levels.

But there is another important part of the picture: pace.

Research looking at more than 78,000 adults found that walking faster was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature death. The researchers looked not only at the total number of steps people took, but also at the pace of their fastest 30 minutes of walking during the day.

So rather than worrying only about accumulating more and more steps, there may be real value in making some of the steps we already take a little more purposeful.

What Does a Brisk Walk Feel Like?

You don’t necessarily need to walk at a particular speed.

A useful guide is to walk briskly enough that you can still hold a conversation, but would find it difficult to sing. This is a simple way of recognising moderate-intensity activity.

That might mean increasing your pace on a flat section, working a little harder up a hill, or simply walking with more purpose for part of your usual route.

And you don’t have to maintain that pace for an entire long walk. Shorter periods of purposeful walking all contribute towards your weekly activity.

Why This Fits So Well With WALX

This is exactly why many of our shorter WALX sessions aren’t simply about covering as much distance as possible.

Depending on the session and the ability of the group, we can use pace, hills, terrain, intervals and Total Body Walking® poles to change the intensity of the walk.

Using poles effectively also brings the upper body and core into the movement, helping to turn an ordinary walk into a more complete exercise session.

So a shorter, more purposeful walk can sometimes provide a very different workout from a longer, gentler stroll.

And both have their place.

Longer walks are wonderful for building endurance, enjoying the countryside, spending time with others and supporting our mental wellbeing. Shorter, brisker sessions give us another way to challenge our cardiovascular fitness when time is limited.

Perhaps It’s Time to Look Beyond 10,000 Steps

Current guidance recommends that adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week, alongside activities that strengthen the major muscle groups on at least two days each week.

But that doesn’t mean every walk needs to be long.

The message from the research is encouraging: every bit of movement counts, and sometimes adding a little more pace can make the time we have available work harder for us.

So next time you’re out walking, rather than looking only at the number of steps on your watch or phone, think about something else too:

How many of those steps made you feel like you were actually exercising?

Sometimes it isn’t about walking further.

It’s about making your walk count.