By Marnie Kunz, NASM-certified trainer, USATF-, RRCA-certified running coach

If you’re wondering about the recommended steps per day by age, this guide offers a complete breakdown of how many steps you should take a day for maximum health benefits. Whether you’re working on losing weight or want to live a l onger, healthier life, boosting your activity level will help. Tracking your daily step count is one of the best ways to measure and improve your activity level. How many steps you need to take for optimal health benefits depends on your age.

Activity Guidelines for Better Health

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should get at 150 minutes to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week or 75 minutes to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week. This translates to a minimum of 30 minutes a day of moderate aerobic exercise five days a week.

The guidelines also recommend doing at least two days of strength training activity per week. You can check out our Strength Training section for more help meeting your strength needs.

To get an idea of how many steps you should take for a base fitness level that falls within the recommended guidelines, 10,000 steps a day is about 5 miles of walking for most people. If you walk at an average pace, you will cover about 3 miles in an hour. So two and a half hours of walking per week - or about 15,000 steps - would give you the minimum amount of activity according to these guidelines.

However, most people don’t do all of their steps at a moderate exercise pace, and age can come into play in your step requirements. The recommended steps per day by age will help you determine how many steps you need to take.

Tracking Steps

Many people track steps as a way to monitor their activity level. As wearable fitness trackers and phone apps for tracking steps become more popular and widely available, tracking your steps has never been easier. And tracking helps to boost activity levels, according to the statistics.

People who track their steps take an average of 2,500 more steps per day than those who don’t, according to the American Council on Exercise. Tracking steps is one of the important elements of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals - by allowing you to track your progress.

Counting your steps can help you monitor if you’re moving enough throughout the day. One thing to consider when meeting your exercise requirements is that not all of your steps will be at a brisk or even moderate pace to qualify as moderate exercise. Some steps will be walking around the house or slow walking between standing spells, for instance.

For the best quality steps, it’s good to take some regular brisk walks. This may be walking your dog, taking a brisk walk to do errands, or listening to your favorite podcast or audiobook. There are many ways to fit some brisk walking steps into your daily routine.

Are 10,000 Steps a Day Good?

The popular advice is to take 10,000 steps a day - or 5 miles - for the best health results. While this may be a good goal for many people, there is no magic number that works best for everyone. You need to account for your fitness level and current step count and build steps gradually.

Also, you may not need 10,000 steps a day, depending on your age and activity level. If you swim, bike, run, or do other cardio exercises, then you may be easily meeting your body’s optimum physical activity requirements per week even if you don’t total 10,000 steps per day.

In addition, for older adults, 10,000 steps per day may be a higher amount than necessary.

Recommended Steps Per Day by Age

According to a scientific mega analysis of 15 studies with nearly 50,000 people, the 10,000 steps per day rule does not hold fast for every age group. The studies do show that a certain amount of daily steps can help reduce the risk of diseases and add longevity to your life, but the exact amount you need depends in part on your age.

According to researchers, for adults ages 60 and older, the risk of premature death leveled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day, meaning that more steps than that provided no additional benefit for longevity. And for adults younger than 60, the risk of premature death stabilizes at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.

This means that adults ages 59 and younger can benefit the most from 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day, and adults ages 60 and older have the most benefits from taking 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day.

These findings are based on longevity so for other health benefits, walking more can still be beneficial. As a trainer, I assess where my clients are currently with their daily steps and add steps gradually to achieve a goal amount of steps, usually in the 8,000 to 10,000 range for younger adults and 6,000 to 8,000 for older adults. Of course, going over the daily step goal is fine, so you don’t need to worry if you go over your step goal.

Benefits of Walking

There are many benefits of walking (see our article on the 15 benefits of walking for more details), including improving your heart health and boosting your mood. Here are just a few of the benefits of walking:

Walking is easily accessible and doesn’t require any special equipment or setting. You can walk almost anywhere and just need a comfortable pair of walking shoes.
Improves heart health. Walking is great for your heart and helps reduce your risk of heart disease and many other chronic diseases.
Boosts endurance. Walking boosts your fitness level and endurance.
Strengthens bones and muscles. Walking regularly improves your muscle and bone strength, which also helps prevent injuries and boosts athletic performance.
Low-impact so you have less pressure on your joints than in activities like running.
Improves mood. Walking can help combat depression and anxiety and boosts your mood.

Tips to Get in More Steps Per Day

If you’d like to boost your step count, here are some tips to help you get in more steps so you can meet the recommended steps per day by age:

Walk to do errands. Skip the drive when you can walk to do errands that are close to your home or work.
Multi-task and take phone calls while walking.
Schedule walks. If you don’t get enough steps in your daily life, schedule some walks.
Buddy up. Walk with a partner, your dog, or a friend, and you’ll enjoy a boost of motivation and strengthen your relationship in the process.
Walk inside if the weather is bad. You can walk in a mall or indoor shopping center or walk on a treadmill to get your steps in.

Do you track your steps? How many steps per day do you usually take? Comment below or tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your progress and get cheered on. Happy stepping to you!

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, NY. Marnie likes helping people get and stay active to enjoy a better quality of life. When she’s not doing fitness things, Marnie enjoys exploring with her dog, a mischievous rescue Akita.

Recommended Steps Per Day by Age: A Complete Guide