Published: October 28, 2025 08:45 PM IST
You may be walking wrong, even if you walk 10,000 steps a day. The pace you set is just as important as the number of steps you take.
Reaching 10k daily is considered the minimum for fitness and good health ensuring you avoid a sedentary lifestyle. But are you doing your minimum entitlements right? A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine on October 28, 2025, revealed that how you take your steps matters just as much. And this means that the speed you set while walking is just as important as the total number of steps you take. So, don’t worry if you are unable to reach the prescribed number of 10 km steps and instead focus on improving the speed.
Also read: Study finds that just 15 minutes of brisk walking a day can reduce the risk of death by 20%
What should be the ideal speed?
According to research, you get more benefits from your daily walks if you take long, continuous walks instead of short, intermittent walks. Researchers examined participants and found that those who consistently walked for 15 minutes or more had a significantly lower risk of heart disease and early death. Those who walked continuously for 15 minutes or more without stopping had only 0.8 percent of deaths and a 4.39 percent chance of heart disease. This is in contrast to those whose continuous walking duration was only 5 minutes or less, 4.36 percent died early, while 13.03 percent developed heart disease.
What does this mean?
This means that the more you walk, the healthier your heart will be. And it’s not just about hitting the 10,000 step mark; What really matters is how you choose to move. Make sure that your speed is continuous and not constantly interrupted by brakes or interruptions. Even people who are relatively sedentary, walking less than 5,000 steps a day, can get heart health benefits if they walk for long periods at a time.
In other words, your daily walk should not be a leisurely, slow walk like a walk in the garden. To really help your heart, aim for at least 10-15 consecutive paces without stopping.
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