You’ve probably heard of the 10,000 steps a day rule for good health.

You may have even, like me, loaded yourself up with a fitbit or pedometer or mobile app and aimed to get those 10,000 steps per day.

It turns out it can be quite difficult. 10,000 steps is around 8km of walking, not an insignificant number. Also, given that some physically demanding activities don’t register many steps (e.g. weight training), you can feel like you’ve had an active day but not met the steps requirement.

However, according to an article by Michael Mosley, you might not need 10,000 steps to achieve the health outcomes.

 

A program called ‘Active 10‘ from Public Health England, encourages you to get 3, 10-minute “brisk” walks in per day. This equates to around 2.5 kms but the health benefits appear to be equivalent to 10,000 steps, and the focus on “brisk” walking means activity is more likely to be “moderate to vigorous” and hence better for your cardiovascular system.

What constitutes “brisk”? – well you should “feel like you’re starting to be slightly out of breath”

To learn more about the Active 10 program – visit the website

To get started with an Active 10 program, download the mobile app – either for Apple or Android phones.