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A team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center asked more than 6,000 participants to wear Fitbit activity trackers for at least 10 hours a day

Analysis revealed taking more than 8,200 steps a day – the equivalent of walking about four miles – was found to protect against obesity, sleep apnea, high blood pressure and major depressive disorder.

The results also suggested that obese people can reduce their risk of becoming obese by 64 percent if they increased their daily steps from 6,000 to 11,000.

As the number of steps increased, the risk of most conditions decreased.

However, the risk of hypertension and diabetes did not decrease further after the participants reached about 8,000-9,000 steps per day.

The authors said that people who wear Fitbits tend to be more active than the average adult.

Still, “the fact that we were able to demonstrate robust associations between steps and … disease in this active sample suggests that even stronger associations may exist in a more sedentary population”.

The team said their findings provide a necessary first step toward the development of personalized activity prescriptions.

Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, they said: ‘We investigated the relationship between pedometer volume and intensity across the full spectrum of human disease using commercial activity monitors linked to a person’s electronic health records.

“We identified consistent and statistically significant associations between activity levels and incident diabetes, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease, major depressive disorder, obesity, and sleep apnea.

‘Taking more steps each day was related to lower risk of developing these chronic diseases.

‘Higher step counts were associated with protection against obesity in a high-risk population.’

https://aumag.net/meeting-your-daily-step-target-really-does-prevent-diseases-study-claims/

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The paper is careful to use "is associated with" everywhere I can find. Whereas the title "was found to protect against" implies causality.

Personally I think it's probably true, but obviously the reverse causality is pretty plausible too-- being obese, depressed, and having poor sleep would tend to cause a person to take fewer steps.

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Make your house really inefficient, forget lots of things so you have to walk back and forth a lot. Get a standing desk. Take breaks to just walk around. Put on some music and Dance!

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Audiobooks and walking has been so great for me the last month. You can see the difference it’s made even with no other changes. . For me, replacing a single TV show with them can get me over 4000 steps. I do most of my walking in the dark and it’s great for decompressing the mind and promoting sleep afterwards.

Right now, I’m starting a long audio series (over 140 hours of content total so far) so I have an excuse to keep walking. I’m doing a little club so we can discuss the books while we read them and discuss our fitness progress using the audiobooks this way. We’re starting the first book tonight if anyone wants to join. :) r/CormoranStrikeRunClub

Exactly my thoughts. Someone that has time to walk 4 flippin' miles because they want to is very likely someone that both has the physical health and spoons to go walk that distance (not to mention shoe funds. 4 miles a day will absolutely chew through shoes.

"4 miles a day will absolutely chew through shoes."

Just grasping for excuses..

What happens if you only average over 8k steps? For instance I get 14k steps but only 4 times a week

Every time you get up to go to the bathroom, get water, get a snack, anything that requires you to stand up- walk outside and do one lap around the house. It only will take 2-3 minutes but it adds up. If you were in the office you’d be walking farther anyways. And I find it helps me focus better

I get about 6k a day. Every hour, my watch reminds me to move more, so I get about 250 an hour just by lapping my building once. It takes me 90 seconds. I get about a thousand steps walking to and from the parking lot at work, and another thousandish by walking to the neighborhood park after work (in the dark, but there are loads of families and dog walkers out at that time, so I feel safe). I go for walks at lunch if it's not too hot or cold; that's another thousandish for a ten minute walk. The game changer for me was the 90 seconds once an hour. Can you take that time once an hour to walk to the end of your block and back (or whatever will get you the 250 steps)? I've found no one in my office even notices when I leave for the 90 second walks, and we're in person. When I was WFH, it would have been even less visible unless I had some kind of invasive performance monitoring software, which thankfully I did not.

I'm trying to work up to 10k. We're coming out of a really hot summer, so hopefully as the weather cools I'll be able to do more before it gets downright cold.

Assuming this is for any kind of physical activity and not just steps. I WFH and don't walk a lot. But i'll try and do an hour lifting in my basement or about 30-45 min rowing multiple times a week.

Walking treadmill for your desk.

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Excuses for what? I train at the gym thrice a week, do martial arts, and play music for a living. My whole life is (and basically always has been) cardio. Hell, back in my teaching days, I'd routinely clock in 10k+ steps a day after lunch for fun.

That doesn't mean that I can't also realise that there are real costs to exercise that some people might not be able to afford, financially, mentally, or physically.

> 4 miles a day will absolutely chew through shoes.

It really doesn't.

My smartwatch tells me I average 6-7 miles a day, so probably around 4 miles with shoes on, and the newest of my three pairs of shoes is about 5 years old.

The only pair showing significant wear is the only one of the three I also use for running; the two walking/hiking shoes have fairly minimal tread loss.

> Someone that has time to walk 4 flippin' miles because they want to

They're not only counting walks for pleasure; walking to the kitchen to get a glass of water racks up steps as well.

If you get a step counting app on your phone, you may be surprised how quickly steps accumulate from just living your life.

Your cells slowly die off, leading to complete extinction of life within 70-80 years on average.

Good news for having an active lifestyle.

Then you seem to have either found shoes that wear rather slowly or a walking method that accomplishes that (in either case, I'm deeply envious). In my experience, even without breaking into the 10k+ steps range, my shoes wear down at about 1 every 6~8 months and have for as long as I can remember.

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I think you need to buy better shoes my friend. I didn't even wear through shoes that fast walking 40+ miles a week.

Interesting.

Have you tried hiking shoes? My experience has been that they tend to wear better than athletic shoes.

I also tend to scuff my feet more while running than while walking, which I suspect contributes to the significantly higher rate of wear while running.

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Thanks for the recommendation. I don't think I've owned a pair of hiking boots, though I do have a pair of solid work boots for when that's necessary. Otherwise, I tend to go for running shoes or formal shoes. The thicker soles on boots definitely help, but I can't stand having that much weight on my feet day-to-day (nor does it fit my style which tends towards formal most times since, ya know, musician).

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I've had pretty much everything from sandals to name-brand running shoes (I've tried damn near all the big names over the years) to formal shoes of ranging qualities. Their soles tend to wear the same. The rest of the shoe, on the other hand, lasts really well when they're high-quality. Like I said to the other person, you seem to have either found shoes that wear rather slowly or a walking method that accomplishes that (in either case, I'm deeply envious).

> but that's about it before it's too dark.

Bring a light? Wear a reflective vest? Walking still works after the sun goes down.

If not treadmill?

> The results also suggested that obese people can reduce their risk of becoming obese

This is confusing

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> Treadmill is a decent idea though.

There are some pretty affordable ones out there.

https://www.today.com/shop/best-affordable-treadmills-t206279

Then you need to find other forms of exercise that you can do in the dark or adjust your hours for a longer walk during the day.

Obviously if you are hellbent on walking and not doing so in the dark without changing your hours, you could buy a running machine.

I bought a recumbent bike and am biking 5 miles a day.

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Merrell makes Some awesome hiking boots as well as shoes. My boots are still Going strong my shoes I have to replaced about once a year!

I have an alarm on my phone that goes off every 45 minutes. I take 3-5 minutes to stretch, walk, or climb my stairs. I also walk before work, during lunch, and after work. A few hundred steps here or there really add up.

Maybe a gym treadmill. Planet fitness about $10 a month. You're inside, relatively safe.

You have two pairs of shoes for walking. Not everyone has that luxury.

What about lunch time? Or before work?

I try to wake up early to run but if I can't do it or have an early meeting then after lunch I go for a walk

How strict is your work. A lot of people can find 1 or two 15 minute breaks they can take a walk in while WFH.

Gym is also an option to add in more cardio even when it's dark.

Walking during work alone really just isn't enough exercise for most people especially those with sit down jobs. If it's important to you then you need to carve out more time

I have adhd and walk that much against my own volition

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After therefore because of, anyone?

Eh i think you're fine then. I really doubt you'd see a significant bonus from even more walking when you already do some and are already doing a notable amount of other exercise.

Lifting will still help cardio and HIIT will also do plenty for your cardio.

It really is a good idea. I have a simple no frills treadmill at home. On days I'm not slowjogging I just walk for around 45 minutes on an incline. That's 5,000 steps give or take at a leisurely pace. If you WFH you can fit in 45 minutes for sure.

Yeah, if you watch the fit to fat to fit show, you’ll see how trainers just stop wanted to do anything. The broken metabolism leads to weight gain, depression, and poor sleep.

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Your heart is going to be a joke with that outlook.

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A treadmill?

That’s all you need. I go for short walks in the middle of my work day to break the day up and be active throughout.

“You can’t outrun a bad diet”. Diet is where you lose / gain weight, exercise is for general health/stamina.

I’m the outlier who walks 12,000 steps a day and still has all the maladies listed.

Sounds good!

-my ADHD

There was a large scale study that showed taking more than 4800 steps a day did nothing for your health. It had something to do with the 10k steps fitbit pulled out of their ass.

I walk around the house, ideally outdoors, when on conference calls. Can get hours of walking in that way.

I've taken 496 steps today

I walk 10,000 steps a day - so yes, over 4 miles - and I've worn the same pair of Adidas £50 trainers for 7 years. They're still going fine!

Don't see how those steps will 'chew threw' shoes??

Not to be rude, but may have something to do with weight, or weight to shoe size ratio

Get an under desk treadmill. Seriously a game changer!

Sitting in a desk job literally takes years off your life regardless of other physical activity.

Have you tried buying multiple pairs and trading off days? I think my sister in law said that improved her shoes’ lifespan.

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Now that's one hell of a shoe. Like I said in another comment, I've worn primarily running shoes and dress shoes with some boots thrown in, often from brand names and anything I wear as my every-day shoes will inevitably have its sole worn through in a little over half a year. Everyone else seems to have found shoes or a stride (or both) that somehow make their shoes last forever and a half and I'm bloody envious.

Maybe? I've worn US 10.5s for almost two decades now and only gone from 60kg to 70kg in the same timeframe. I could understand if I was like 100kg+, but I've been fortunate enough to be relatively fit for my whole life. Now I'm really curious if my stride heavily differs from most people or something.

Yeah, I've had that recommended to me on occasion. I don't really see the logic in it, though. If I put x wear on a shoe per day, switching between two sets will simply mean that I get twice the time out of the two total pairs but with double the repair fee at the end. Is there something I'm missing with this particular method of making shoes last longer? Each shoe is still lasting the same number of uses, right?

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Yeah that might be your stride, im a size 13 but have been between 80-100kgs for most of my life, and around 75kg now and I def never ran through shoes that quickly. I still have some pairs of running shoes that I regularly have worn for working out and general walking about for the past 6 years

You become an undifferentiated blob of quivering flesh.

I'll go do that after work, before bath time for the kids after dinner, after I start the laundry and mow the yard. Ohh maybe after the dishes and homework help. Add this to my not so urgent things to do list.

It's the stride, I have realized that I push off with my heel somehow with each step as the heel part of the shoe is completely worn through after a few years and the rest of the shoe is worn but comparably fine.

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Check to see if you have a weird size or a wide foot. I wrecked shoes for years until I realized my feet were just wider than normal.

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In the central park or NYC?

12 thousand steps while being obese like me sounds like murder on my knees

I get mine in during exercise. About 10,000 steps during a five mile run six days a week. It really does make a difference in how you physically feel.

Not central park. There's an abandoned subway station in NYC where they put all the undifferentiated quivering blobs of human flesh that used to be humans until they got a very specific amount of steps in a certain time period.

Source needed.

I mean yeah....thats what you do. Do you think the only people that workout have nothing else to do all day?

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Who'dathunk?

That's a rap verse

I remember that

I walk 20k a day at work (warehouse job), and still have the same safety shoes I got over a year ago and thread isn't even noticably damaged. I only work 2 days a week tho.

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I believe there is truth to this last statement even though there is no proof of it. Too many bad things about sitting in general, many of which would contribute to poor health.

Picked a source at random from Google. There's a bunch: https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20150119/too-much-sitting-can-be-deadly----even-if-you-exercise-review-finds

It would be great if there was some similar study for other modes of exercise involving moving from point A to point B, like cycling, for example.

Actually there are studies on it! Here's a random article about it, but if you're interested Google around some. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20150119/too-much-sitting-can-be-deadly----even-if-you-exercise-review-finds

Also, not consuming anything that comes in a package will work. Aka: processed food or fast food.

Eat whole/real/food and don’t drink anything from a can. See if that changes things.

Try to only eat food that does NOT come in a package. See if that helps. Nothing processed or calories from liquids. I lost 30 pounds doing just that. No exercise. Now walking isn’t as bad.

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"does not come in a package" is incredibly vague. That's basically everything besides fruit and vegetables, and even most vegetables in come packaging here

I think the theory is that letting the shoe interior dry out and giving the foam time to decompress makes them more resilient next time you wear them. If you’re wearing them out by wearing through the outsole that wouldn’t help, but if it’s the interior of the shoe that breaks down it’d be worth a try.

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Oh. I mean processed foods. Food that is broken down/Made in a factory, not fresh.

Frozen fruit and items like that are different. But items that are not actual fresh/real.

Yes, only fruits and vegetables and clean meats. Also almost ALL fast/easy food comes in a package/processed. It’s killing humans.

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Not the case. MO here and i hit 10 k most days. Sometimes 13k sometimes 7k its not bad.

Still visiting the local cobbler even. Are your shoes carved from wood homie?

Same here. Not all the problems listed but sleep, digestion, heart and weight issues. I usually achieve the 12000 in one single burst of about an hour or so. Problem is the rest of the time im sedentary and drinking too much beer. I guess it's like 1 step forward and 3 steps back.

Well, dang. I have all three of them!

I think that priorities change when you have life to deal with

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Ugh, correlation <> causation.

Just because you walk more, doesn't mean it makes you healthy, you may just walk more because you are more healthy.

I work in a lets say nursing Home for people with disabled peoples, i get Like 14k steps in dayly, i am 31 years old, 85kg at 180cm. I have sleep apnea, probaply high blood pressure (to much Coffee and Mate) and Depression and burn Out are very likely disorders in my Job. Also i often had coworkers that were adipos.

But exceptions confirm the ruling ? (Its a saying in German Ausnahmen bestätigen die Regel)

Everyone alive has to deal with life.

K what about my knees tho

Huh? Are you running? A 23 minute dog walk gets me 1500 steps. Granted I’m walking and picking up after my dogs, but 12000 in one hour doesn’t sound right unless you’re sprinting. That’s 200 steps per minute (3.33 steps per second) for an hour straight…

Aaah, that explains it. Yeah, for most of my shoes, it's the outsole that's wearing out, but if I start seeing the interiors going out, I know what to do now. Thanks for being one of the only people to have interesting input in this thread~

Yeah, my feet are really wide (4E tends to fit), but that's something I've known and accounted for since I was in my late teens.

I'm in a similar boat except that the ball of the foot wears through at a similar rate (possibly because of my stride, possibly because I tend to stand for long periods of time). I guess I have something new and interesting to pay attention to and possibly change when I'm walking now :D

Look at Brooks or Altra running shoes. They've held up really well for me and my weirdly wide feet.

And we all have different circumstances and priorities.

Probably meant to write overweight.

I've been weightlifting for 22 years. And I always avoided running until the last couple years. I've really come to love running, especially how I feel after running. I feel so euphoric whereas with weightlifting I'm just glad it is over. I do 4 mile runs 3-4 days a week, so less than you, but I also lift 3-4 days a week, too.

Not running but a pretty fast walk for about 80 or 90 mins.

Edit: I am former infantry, so when I "go for a walk" for my health I am usually keeping a fast march/hump pace. Muscle memory is still there, just that the years have caught up. Haven't been regularly working out for many years now, but after 50 I gotta start something before it's just too late.

Will do! Thank you~

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My shoes, on average ,last between 500-800 Miles. About half a year with my daily step count. I buy name brand shoes too

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