Average number of steps per day by age, gender and occupation

While there are no strict rules about how many steps a person should take per day, staying active and increasing your average number of steps per day can help people achieve their health and fitness goals. Using step trackers, smartphone apps, and other fitness-friendly devices can help people count how many steps they take every day.

A person's average daily step count can depend on a number of factors. These include age, gender, profession and even location.

Race walking - benefits

For most people, walking is a cheap and easily accessible form of physical activity. It is recommended to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, every week. Regular physical activity improves muscle strength and endurance. Race walking may also play a role in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases, such as:

• cardiac ischemia
• type 2 diabetes
• obesity
• high blood pressure
• osteoporosis
• high cholesterol
• depression
• anxiety
• Alzheimer's disease

Walking poses a lower risk of injury compared to intense sports. In addition, in most cases, walking does not require special equipment or clothing for the activity.

Principles of healthy walking

Hiking should be done correctly so as not to harm the body.

Therefore, you need to follow the basic principles:

1. Moderation . Physical activity should not cause discomfort. Therefore, you need to observe the measure. You shouldn't overload yourself with workouts, even if you want to lose weight quickly.
2. Graduality . At first you need to walk short distances, and over time increase them. If you have problems with your health, you need to reduce the frequency and time of walks. In the spring, as well as during very stressful work situations or when there is a lack of sleep, it is advisable to reduce the duration and speed of walking.
3. Regularity . The positive effect of the classes will only be if they are carried out systematically. It is advisable to do this at the same time.

You need to control your breathing. You need to breathe through your nose. If the pace increases, then you can do this with your nose and mouth. The norm is the absence of shortness of breath.

Number of steps per day by age

The average daily number of steps a person takes may fluctuate with age. A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that adults who took part in the challenge took an average of 6,886 steps per day. However, this number may be slightly higher because participants were directly involved in other activities.

The study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found that adults take an average of 5,117 steps per day. Younger adults and children may be able to take more steps per day. A 2011 study found that people under the age of 18 can take between 10,000 and 16,000 steps per day. Older people are different from other groups. For example, another study notes that healthy older adults can average 2,000 to 9,000 steps per day.

How long do you need to walk a day to lose 10 kg in a month?

Losing 10 kg in 30 days, even following a daily plan of 10,000 steps, will not work. You will need to greatly reduce your diet and train for 2.5-3 hours daily. Even for a healthy body, this is a huge stress and a serious burden.

To lose a significant amount of excess weight in a short time, walking alone is not enough. You will need to include strength exercises in your daily workout routine. You also cannot do without revising your eating habits.

Be sure to read: Training with weights at home: a set of exercises for different muscles

Average number of steps by country

The number of steps a person takes can also depend on their location. For example, a study in the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise notes that people in the United States took fewer steps per day than people in Japan, Australia, and Switzerland. This may be due to differences in lifestyle, transportation, or general health of people in these places.

How much should you run per day to lose weight?

If you run regularly, the weight loss effect will be noticeable very quickly.

It is important to consider the type of activity:

1. Jogging . This technique is ideal for increasing endurance. You don't need to follow any special rules to do this. You have to run monotonously. The duration of classes depends on desire. If you exercise 3 times a week, running for about 1 hour will be enough.
2. Interval . The training consists of alternating periods: acceleration is replaced by moderate running, and then walking. You are allowed to study for up to 2 hours a day.
3. Tempo . The training involves running fast and over long distances. This trains endurance and ensures rapid weight loss. If your health allows, you can exercise for 1 hour 3 times a week.
4. Repeated . The technique is to use medium to long range until you feel completely tired. You can study for up to 1 hour.

How many steps should a person take?

For people who find it difficult to meet recommended levels of activity each day, taking more steps can increase overall activity. Adults should walk 30 minutes a day, which is about 3000-4000 steps.

For the average person, brisk walking means 100 steps per minute. This is enough to increase the heart rate, but the person should feel comfortable while walking. Adding more steps or other activities to your regular exercise routine may provide more benefits. Active, otherwise healthy people can aim for the 10,000 steps mark, although other forms of activity should also be considered. For older people, this recommendation may be slightly lower. For example, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that older women who took 4,400 to 7,500 steps per day had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than people who took fewer than 2,700 steps per day.

The benefits of walking during pregnancy

At this time, the body undergoes serious changes, which can cause disruptions in the functioning of any organ or system. But daily walking is needed to strengthen all systems and improve overall well-being.

Moderate physical activity ensures:

1. Strengthening the muscles of the legs, back, buttocks, improving blood supply to bone tissue. The leaching of calcium from bones occurs less actively, which is necessary to preserve your hair, nails, and teeth.
2. Intense calorie burning.

3. Beneficial effect on the respiratory system. The lungs function actively, blood circulation in the uteroplacental blood flow improves, and this has a positive effect on the development of the child.
4. Improvement of intestinal functions. Walking will help relieve constipation and hemorrhoids.
5. Strengthening the immune system, improving the condition of the nervous system. The pregnant woman receives positive energy.
6. Breathing training. This greatly reduces pain during childbirth and protects the baby from oxygen starvation.

In the 2nd and 3rd trimester, many pregnant women develop varicose veins. After walking, you need to lie down with your legs raised for about 10-15 minutes, and then perform special exercises. This allows you to get rid of swelling and reduce the load on the veins.

If a pregnant woman is in normal health, then it is advisable to walk for 1.5-2 hours a day.

The norm can be divided into several times. An indicator of a suitable load is the absence of shortness of breath. It is important that your breathing is even and calm. There should also be no discomfort in the lower abdomen.

How to increase your steps

There are several ways to increase your step count and overall activity level, especially when you're just starting out with walking.

Set goals and stick to them

Starting any new level of activity can be challenging. It is necessary to set goals and write them down to stay motivated. These should be achievable goals. For example, set a goal to start walking for 10 minutes every day, gradually increasing this time to 30 minutes every day for 6 months. For other people, setting distance goals, such as walking 1 mile or walking to a landmark down the street and back, can help. Setting small goals and achieving them can help a person stay motivated.

Walk to pleasant places

Walking in pleasant places can help some people take their daily steps. For others, however, a walk through the mall can keep them motivated. It is important for each person to decide what he finds most enjoyable.

Walk with a friend

Walking with a buddy can help a person increase their step count by taking their mind off the activity itself. Making walking a social activity can make it more enjoyable and help a person walk more, as well as provide mutual accountability and motivation.

Take the dog

Walking the dog can keep some people motivated to walk longer or to new places, which can also make walking more enjoyable.

Park further away

In areas with large parking lots, actions such as parking further away can help a person increase their step count.

Climb the stairs

If possible, choosing the stairs rather than the elevator can increase a person's daily step count.

Track progress

Tracking progress will help some people see the results they are making. Keeping a simple progress log that records the date, number of steps, can help monitor progress. This will help you stay motivated to take additional steps.

Which walking is best for weight loss?

Experienced athletes, to maintain athletic shape, practice eight main types of walking:

1. Scandinavian. It is a movement at an average pace, supported by sticks. This method of walking is considered the safest, as it is suitable for people of any age, gender and weight. The main thing is not to overdo it. Walks should not cause discomfort or be too long.
2. Sports. Provides for a fairly fast pace of movement, with active involvement of the arms. Beginners who do not have sufficient experience are not recommended to start with race walking. Intense exercise is not suitable for people with large body weight or sore joints.
3. On the stairs. Used by trained athletes for maximum development of all muscles. Vigorous descents and ascents of stairs allow you to effectively burn extra calories.
4. Long walk. Walking in the fresh air is recommended for absolutely all people. To achieve positive results, you need to walk for an hour, maintaining an average pace of 4-5 km/hour.
5. Interval. Involves an activity with alternating speed of movement. Slow steps are replaced by energetic ones and turn into very fast ones. Each stage is allotted a certain time from 20 to 60 seconds. The scheme is repeated 5-10 times. The dynamic method allows you to significantly increase energy consumption. Conducting interval loads without preparation is undesirable.
6. On the spot. Even with limited space, you can organize effective home training. You will need to take brisk steps in place with your knees raised high. This type of walking is often used as a warm-up before the main part of the lesson.
7. Walking on an incline. Represents a serious burden on the entire body. High-intensity training is best done in mountainous areas. You can climb not only up hills, but also use a treadmill; the belt must be positioned at an inclination of 5-7 degrees.
8. Walking with weights. The preparation is technically similar to the Scandinavian version. In this case, instead of sticks, you need to take weights in your hands. Contraindicated for people with diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. For the first classes, light weights are used.

Be sure to read: Body drying for girls: rules, permitted and prohibited foods, menu for the week, results

Energy costs for different stride options

The effectiveness of any type of walking depends on a number of factors:

• initial human body weight;
• movement speed;
• duration of continuous steps;
• presence/absence of additional loads;
• systematic training.