The hikes you need to live a longer life seem to be a lot shorter than one thought: only 7,000 steps a day will reduce the risk of mortality, according to a new study published in The Lancet medical journal.
The research suggests that older adults (those above the age of 60) who walk from around 3,000 steps to around 7,000 have a 50 percent higher chance to live longer. Younger adults need to show a bit more of an effort - however, they can still show an improvement by taking between 8,000 and 10,000 steps a day.
"Taking more steps per day was associated with a progressively lower risk of all-cause mortality, up to a level that varied by age," the research abstract in The Lancet reads.
However, according to kinesiologist Amanda Paluch cited by Axios, it is not an "all or nothing" situation. You don't have to increase the amount of steps dramatically, and there is definitely no need to become desperate if you don't meet your daily target.
"Even just boosting your daily step count to 5,000 — for 60 and older — and 7,000 — for younger folks — slashed mortality risks by 40 percent," Paluch recommended.
When it comes to the often repeated recommendation of 10,000 steps per day, the study pointed out that there was no evidence to support the claim that this exact number of steps benefits one's health. Despite being widely promoted as a general health recommendation, this number originates from a marketing campaign in Japan, rather than from actual scientific studies.