Welcome to our Just Wondering series, in which local experts tackle your most burning health and fitness questions. Got a question of your own? Send it here!
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Walking through leaves
Despite my best efforts to hit my step goal, after a long day of WFH-ing, I sometimes turn up a couple (thousand!) short. Going for walks is always great, but as the cold weather settles in, it's less appealing to bundle up before heading out over my lunch break. And there are only so many times I can walk from my living room to my kitchen per day. Do we really need 10,000 steps a day? Is there a minimum I need to stay healthy?
“Though that daily goal is admirable, there is no consensus that the threshold of 10,000 steps is the absolute number necessary to improve overall health. Recent research suggests that attaining even half that number of steps may be beneficial.
We should keep in mind that not everyone is able to take steps or have access to a pedometer or fitness tracker. The amount of time spent exercising may be helpful in that case. The overall recommendation is to attain 30 minutes of physical activity most days—or 150 minutes of physical activity in a week—but even a 5- to 10-minute walk is beneficial. The goal should be to increase physical activity in any way that a person can, because a sedentary lifestyle is an important predictor for poor health.”
—Joseph Moriarity MD, MPH, Medical Director of Primary Care for M Health Fairview
