Not hitting your step goal? Pick up the pace

By Taylor Nicioli, CNN

(CNN) — If you’re watching your daily step count, you may be overlooking another important part of the equation: your pace.

Taking fewer steps at a faster pace may be associated with a similar reduction in the risk of early death as getting in more steps at a slower pace, according to a study published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The often-cited goal of 10,000 steps a day didn’t come from a specific scientific finding, said study coauthor Emmanuel Stamatakis, professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at Monash University in Melbourne. Rather, the target dates back to a 1960s Japanese pedometer campaign, he noted.

10,000 steps isn’t the only goal

For some people, 10,000 steps can seem daunting and dissuade them from trying to start exercising.

To “a 65-year-old managing a knee, a carer with fragmented time, or a shift worker, that number can feel less like a goal and more like a reason to give up,” Stamatakis said in an email.

“Someone walking 4,000 steps a day who walks them with more purpose is doing something worthwhile, and someone who cannot walk quickly can still gain a great deal by accumulating more steps at a slower pace.”

To explore how the number of steps and the pace of those steps might work together, researchers analyzed movement data from more than 100,000 middle-aged adults in the UK Biobank, a longitudinal study that included participants from England, Scotland and Wales. Participants wore an activity tracker for seven consecutive days between 2013 and 2015, allowing researchers to measure both their daily step counts and pace.

The authors of the new study found that both walking more and walking faster were associated with a lower risk of death — suggesting that the benefits of walking may be less about hitting one magic number and more about finding a combination of steps and pace that works for you.

Step count versus pace

For the new study, scientists grouped daily step counts into four categories: fewer than 5,000 steps, 5,000 to 7,500 steps, 7,500 to 10,000 steps, and more than 10,000 steps. The team also calculated each participant’s “peak-30 cadence,” or their fastest sustained stepping rate during their most active 30 minutes of the day.

The study authors followed participants for about eight years, tracking deaths from any cause and from cardiovascular disease.

One of the clearest differences emerged among people taking fewer than 5,000 steps a day. Those who reached a peak cadence of at least 80 steps per minute had a substantially lower risk of death — comparable to that of people taking 5,000 to 7,500 steps a day at a lower cadence of about 60 steps per minute.

Still, the lowest risk of early death was associated with taking 7,500 to 10,000 steps a day, regardless of walking pace. But among people taking fewer than 7,500 steps a day, maintaining a brisker pace for at least 30 minutes a day was associated with a progressively lower risk of death from any cause. In other words, for sedentary adults, walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes a day may be the sweet spot to lowering risk of early death, according to the study.

“There is no single pace that suits everyone, because intensity is always relative to a person’s fitness, age, height and body weight, and a speed that feels very comfortable to a fit walker in their forties may be maximal intensity for a deconditioned 70-year-old,” Stamatakis said. As the research suggests, “there is more than one way to lower your risk, and the target should fit the lifestyle you actually have,” he added.

For those looking to figure out what pace works best for them, Stamatakis said paying attention to how your body feels can be more useful than chasing a specific number. At a brisk pace, your breathing should become noticeably heavier and you should feel warmer, but you should still be able to speak in short sentences.

For those who prefer a numerical guide, counting your steps for 15 seconds and multiplying by four can give you an estimate of your cadence, he added. About 100 steps per minute is commonly used as a rough benchmark for moderate-intensity walking in the average adult, although that number may be too high or too low depending on the individual.

“If time is the constraint, picking up the pace is the more time-efficient of the two levers, and that is probably the most useful practical finding in the paper,” Stamatakis said. “I would not force the choice, though. The two routes are largely interchangeable, and the right one is whichever you will still be doing in a year. If you have a bad knee, poor balance, or a fear of falling, being told to walk faster is unhelpful, and adding steps at a comfortable pace is the sensible alternative.”

He added that the most important factor is consistency, and “what counts is what you do on most days over months and years, not a motivated fortnight in January.” Anyone with cardiovascular risk factors or years of inactivity should build up their pace gradually, and check with their doctor first before increasing intensity, he noted.

Making your walking routine work for you

Because the study was observational, the research cannot say concretely whether walking faster actually lowered people’s risk of death or whether people who were already healthier and fitter were simply more likely to walk faster, noted Daniel Lieberman, the Edwin M Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was not involved with the new study.

“That said, the paper’s results make sense because exercise dose is really a combination of three factors: magnitude, intensity, and frequency. All three matter. It’s good to get in plenty of steps, but walking briskly is probably also helpful. And of course it’s good to do this regularly,” Lieberman said in an email.

For people who want to add more brisk walking to their routine, Lieberman recommended starting gradually rather than trying to make a dramatic change overnight. Finding ways to make activity enjoyable can also help people stick with it, he said, whether that means walking with a friend, taking the stairs or even just parking farther from a destination.

Phil Chilibeck, professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Kinesiology in Saskatoon, also recommended gradually increasing the amount of time spent walking at a faster pace.

Pressed for time? “You can increase your walking pace for a shorter walking distance and get the same benefits as walking a long distance at a slower pace,” said Chilibeck, who was not involved in the study.

He suggested adding one to three additional minutes of brisk walking each day, adjusting that progression based on how difficult it feels. If you become very short of breath, slow down the progression; if your breathing remains relatively comfortable, you can increase the amount more quickly, he said via email.

“I think for most readers the message remains the same as it has been for a long time: any physical activity is better than none!” Lieberman said. “And it’s good to mix it up: a little vigorous activity is beneficial!”

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