How Long You Should Take to Walk 10,000 Steps
If you still think walking as exercise is only for the frail or lazy, you’re missing what could be a key factor in levelling up your fitness plan. Getting more focused steps into your routine is healthy for your heart, helps you maintain a healthy body weight, and is associated with decreased stress. That said, achieving the popular goal of 10,000 steps—especially in addition to other fitness activities—can be time-consuming.
On average, most people will spend 70 to 100 minutes accumulating 10,000 steps. Below, we’ll explain how we came up with that range, strategies to organically increase your step count, and the benefits of walking for the step-curious.
How Long Does It Take to Walk 10,000 Steps
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. How long it takes someone to walk 10,000 steps primarily depends on their height (which affects their stride length) and pace. Even so, we can assume that 10,000 steps is approximately equal to five miles—again, this isn’t true for everyone, but it’s a safe estimate.
You'll also have to factor in where you're walking—if you have to stop at crosswalks, for instance. To make this estimate, it's easiest to approach this with the assumption that you'll be taking on every step without pausing. Using this mileage as a base, we can examine how different paces affect walking speed.
According to Michele Stanten, the former fitness director of Prevention magazine, a walking coach, and the author of three books about walking, including The Walking Solution: Get People Walking for Results, a leisurely pace for most people is around three miles per hour, with more intense walking at four miles per hour. Using those benchmarks, here’s how long it should take you to walk five miles (about 10,000 steps):
Walking Paces
Leisurely pace, 3.0 mph: About 100 minutes
Moderate pace, 3.5 mph: About 80 minutes
Brisk walking pace, 4.0 mph: About 70 minutes
How Far Do You Really Need to Walk?
The lore of the 10,000-step benchmark isn’t concrete, but according to reporting from Women’s Health, it stems from the 1964 marketing campaign of a Japanese-made step counter called Manpo-Kei. Translated to English, “Manpo” literally means “10,000 steps,” and it's thought that number was chosen because the Japanese character for the number 10,000 resembles a person walking.
All that to say, the origin of the now-ubiquitous 10,000-step goal wasn’t born from health-focused research but marketing to sell pedometers. The number stuck, and it’s still used as a preset benchmark for nearly all step counters.
The long and short of it is this: More movement is associated with increased health markers, decreased all-cause mortality, and more calories burned. If you're not active and establishing a goal like walking 10,000 steps will get you moving, that's better than the alternative sedentary lifestyle.
According to a 2024 paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, any number of steps above 2,200 was associated with lower mortality and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers found accumulating between 9,000 and 10,500 steps resulted in the lowest mortality risk.
How Walking Can Impact Your…
Health Markers
The paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine mentioned above showed a clear correlation between an increased step count and reduced all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease.
Mental Health
The American Psychological Association says adults who get the recommended weekly exercise—equivalent to two and half hours of brisk walking—are 25 percent less likely to experience depression.
Stanten also says there's a societal benefit to getting outside and walking more. “We’re just going by in our cars…[walking] is a chance to meet your neighbors,” she previously told Men's Health. “You walk in your neighborhood, and somebody's out sweeping the lawn or cutting the grass, and it's a chance to meet your neighbors. [Walking] can be community-building.”
Physique
Walking can help you lose weight by increasing your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), which is how many calories you burn through everyday activities. A higher level of NEAT means you’ll achieve a faster rate of weight loss (assuming you’re in a caloric deficit). Or, you’ll be able to eat more while losing weight, which makes your diet easier to stick to since it isn’t as restrictive.
On average, you’ll burn about seven calories per minute walking briskly. Walk 10,000 steps at about four miles per hour, and you’ll burn about 490 additional calories. How many calories you burn walking, though, depends on various factors.
4 Ways to Increase Your Step Count
Unless you work an active profession like construction or nursing, walking 10,000 steps in a day is going to take time—which can be tough in addition to your day job, lifting weights, family obligations, and chores. If your day-to-day is more sedentary, you’ll need to prioritise dedicated walking periods if you want to hit the 10,000-step mark. If this sounds like a tall order, don’t fret. Below are four strategies you can employ to sneak in more steps without putting the rest of your day on pause.
Go for a five-minute walk at the top of every hour. You take about 100 steps per minute of walking, so in addition to a mental break from work, you’ll accumulate about 5,000 steps (if you follow this tip from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
Walk any time you’re on the phone. Don’t underestimate the number of steps you can achieve while you're gabbing away on a call. If you work from home, move some of your work meetings to phone calls so you have more opportunities to walk and talk. If you work in an office, see if some of your co-workers are down to have walking meetings. It’s not as weird as it sounds.
Take walks with your partner. Set aside 30 minutes to stroll outside with your significant other. Leave your phones behind and use the time to chat about your days.
Walk while you watch TV. If you have a walking pad or treadmill, set it in front of your TV and try to walk for an entire episode of your favorite show. If you don’t own a walking pad, try walking in place. It sounds goofy, but movement is movement, and most fitness trackers will log stationary steps.
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