The goal of walking 10,000 steps a day has long been touted as a beneficial target for those seeking to boost their fitness and health.
Numerous health studies over the years have suggested that incorporating more walking into your daily routine can help reduce the risk of various serious diseases.
Research also indicates that increasing your daily step count can enhance mental clarity, with some studies even suggesting it can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. Plus, walking is a completely FREE way to improve your health and fitness.
However, the 10,000-step target seems somewhat arbitrary, with some experts suggesting that 4,000 steps could be sufficient for health benefits. A recent study by JAMA Neurology even claimed that for every additional 2,000 steps taken each day, the risks of premature death can be reduced.
Obviously, any efforts to move more and eat less are beneficial in maintaining a healthy weight. The NHS recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week for good health, stating that even a brisk 10-minute daily walk can offer “lots of health benefits”.
But I was eager to see if hitting the 10,000 step mark on a daily basis would aid in my personal goals to shed some pounds and regain my fitness after a bit of a dip in recent months, reports the Manchester Evening News.
During the Covid lockdown, I seized every chance to get fit, using those precious daily one-hour slots when we were permitted to leave our homes (remember that?) for long walks, which gradually morphed into lengthy runs. I was astounded by how quickly I managed to improve my fitness.
However, as lockdown restrictions began to ease, I found myself slipping back into old habits of minimal exercise and indulging in cakes and treats. Now at 47, I’m carrying more weight than I’d like for my height of 5′ 6″.
Equipped with my Fitbit fitness tracker, I set a goal to walk at least 10,000 steps every day throughout June to see what effect it would have on my health and well-being. I was also curious to find out if hitting this daily target would aid in weight loss.
To put this to the test, I decided not to alter my diet during the first two weeks of the month. However, in the second half of the month, I incorporated healthy eating to see how it would affect my weight and the health stats displayed on my Fitbit.
For me, this involved monitoring my resting heart rate, which typically ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute for adults. Health professionals assert that a lower resting heart rate generally indicates more efficient heart function and superior cardiovascular fitness.
I had high hopes that upping my exercise game would have a positive impact on my resting heart rate, which was sitting at 75 bpm at the start of the month. Here’s how my month unfolded.
Week One – the beginning
As a working mum of two, I’d like to believe I’m already quite active, but my Fitbit tells a different tale. Upon reviewing my stats before embarking on this experiment, I was taken aback to discover my average daily step count for the previous month (May) was a mere 5,000. Given that I spend a lot of time working from home at a desk, it seems I’ve fallen into the trap of prolonged sitting.
To reach my goal of 10,000 steps per day, I quickly realised I’d need to double my activity levels. To aid in this endeavour, I began by attempting to do more school runs on foot rather than resorting to last-minute car scrambles. This strategy did indeed help boost my step count, but I found myself still falling short of the 10,000 mark by evening.
So, I started incorporating early evening walks into my routine, allowing me to rack up a few extra thousand steps before tucking the kids into bed. After my first week of hitting 10,000 steps daily, I was already feeling optimistic. Taking some time out for solo walks also helped me feel calmer at the end of each day.
I’ve observed a decrease in my resting heart rate over the week, starting at 75bpm and dropping to 72bpm by the end of the week. However, my weight remained stubbornly unchanged, much to my disappointment.
Weight lost: none
Average heart rate: 72bpm
Week Two – the plateau
The second week started off promisingly. I had several events lined up which involved a fair bit of walking to and from venues, including Co-op Live and Emirates Old Trafford from the city centre. This resulted in a couple of days where I managed an impressive 15,000 steps.
However, the downside of attending these events was the temptation to indulge in less healthy food and drink options. I naively thought that the extra steps would offset any additional calories consumed.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. To my horror, I discovered I’d gained a pound when I stepped on the scales at the end of the week. My heart rate also began to rise again, particularly on the day I indulged a little too much in wine.
It felt like all the progress made in the first week had been undone, leaving me frustrated with myself for not capitalising more on the health gains of week one. So, by the third week, I decided to tackle my diet and start eating healthily, while maintaining my goal of 10,000 steps a day.
Weight lost: gained 1lb
Average heart rate: 75bpm
Week Three – a lightbulb moment
Coincidentally, my decision to eat healthily aligned with another work project that required me to test out a new range of recipe boxes from Slimming World. Having previously followed the Slimming World plan and lost a significant amount of weight, I was confident this could help me shed some pounds this week. You can read all about my experience here.
Spending a good hour in the kitchen each day preparing these healthy, nutrient-rich meals kept me on track and away from less healthy temptations. The recipe boxes were packed with fresh vegetables and lean meats and didn’t include any ultra-processed foods.
So, I found myself enjoying dishes like salmon and roasted veg, Korean beef with noodles, and jerk pork with rice. Pairing this healthy diet with my daily walks, I could feel myself becoming healthier with each passing day.
This improvement was reflected in my resting heart rate readings on the Fitbit. I was astounded to see the dramatic impact that a completely healthy diet, coupled with walking, was having.
By the end of the week, it had dropped to 71bpm. The scales also showed a significant result – I lost a total of six pounds this week.
Weight lost: – 6lbs
Average heart rate: 71bpm
Week Four – steady progress
Feeling encouraged by the progress made in week three, I began to consciously incorporate more walking into my daily routine. Instead of catching up with friends over coffee, we started going for long walks (with takeaway coffees in hand).
Instead of driving to deliver some shopping to a relative, I chose to walk. I was aware that I wouldn’t lose a significant amount of weight this week after the initial dieting loss, but I was still really pleased to continue my progress with a weight loss of 2 pounds this week, making it a total loss of 7lb across the month.
Now that I’m back on track with my healthy habits, I hope to maintain this progress, losing an average of around 2lb a week.
Weight lost: – 2 lb
Average heart rate: 66bpm
What it did for my health
The most rewarding part of this project for me was observing the positive impact a healthier lifestyle had on my heart rate. At the beginning of the month, my Fitbit indicated a resting heart rate of 75bpm. When I first embarked on the 10,000 steps, it immediately lowered my heart rate to 70bpm.
However, it then plateaued for a while, and as I indulged in more unhealthy foods, I was disheartened to see it slowly rise again, peaking at 79bmp by mid-month. The turning point came when I decided to focus on my diet. As the graph above shows, combining a healthier diet with my 10,000-a-day routine significantly lowered my resting heart rate.
By the end of the month, my resting heart rate had dropped to a steady 65bpm, where it has remained for the past week or so. Another revelation was discovering how increasing my activity levels affected my calorie burn. My Fitbit estimated that in May, when I was averaging 5,000 steps a day, I was burning around 2,469 calories a day.
In June, when I upped my average to 10,000 steps a day, this figure rose to 2,660 calories burned per day. That’s an extra 200 calories burned each day just from walking more.
If you’re aiming to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume each day. So, for me, increasing the number of calories I burn through walking is a positive step towards reaching a healthy weight.
What I learned
The most important lesson I learned over the month is the truth behind the saying that you can’t outrun (or outwalk) a poor diet. Despite significantly increasing my exercise during the first two weeks, I didn’t lose any weight at all. This was because I was still consuming far too many calories, even taking into account the extra calories burned from walking 10,000 steps a day.
It was only when I combined walking with a balanced, nutrient-rich diet that the weight began to drop off. Walking outdoors served as a fantastic motivator for me to maintain a healthier lifestyle overall.
By the end of the month, I felt capable of increasing my pace and even managed to jog occasionally without becoming too breathless, which is a significant improvement for me. In fact, I now feel prepared to reintroduce some gentle running into my routine.
I can understand how setting and achieving personal goals with a fitness tracker can be motivating, as it does provide a sense of accomplishment when you see that you’ve reached your target. I’m not sure if it was solely due to the walking, but I did experience a sense of tranquillity from being more active outdoors.
Adhering to this routine so strictly over the month made me realise just how much walking I need to do to reach that sort of figure, which is helpful on days when I might not be wearing my Fitbit.
The best part, of course, is that walking is a completely free form of exercise. Pairing it with a healthy diet has been an effective way for me to improve my heart health, and I plan to continue on this journey to lose more weight and get in better shape.
