- Older women lowered their risk of early death by more than a quarter with about 4,000 steps a day
- Benefits appeared even when steps were only achieved on one or two days a week
- Total steps mattered more than how many days they were spread across
The idea that everyone should walk 10,000 steps a day has become a cultural mantra, but it began as a marketing slogan rather than a scientific rule.
New research in older women now suggests you can gain meaningful health benefits with far fewer steps.
The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, shows that accumulating around 4,000 steps a day is linked with a sizeable reduction in early death and heart disease risk in women in their seventies, even if that activity only happens on one or two days a week.
Study design and main findings
Researchers followed 13,547 women, with an average age of about 72, who were free from heart disease and cancer at the start.
Each woman wore a device for seven consecutive days to capture her step count. The participants were then tracked for nearly eleven years. During that time:
- 1,765 women died
- 781 developed heart disease
Compared with women who were largely sedentary:
- Those who reached about 4,000 steps a day on one or two days a week had a 26 percent lower risk of death from any cause and a 27 percent lower risk of heart disease
- Achieving that step count on three days a week was linked with a 40 percent lower risk of early death and a 27 percent lower risk of heart disease
- Higher step counts, between 5,000 and 7,000 a day, brought further reductions in mortality risk, to around 32 percent, but the decline in cardiovascular death risk levelled off at roughly 16 percent
Steps matter more than daily pattern
The key message from the authors, who include researchers from Harvard University, is that in this population it was the total number of steps taken that mattered most, not the number of days the step threshold was reached.
They saw no evidence for a single best pattern of activity.
Rather, they concluded that older women can choose the activity pattern that suits their lives, whether that is regular daily walking or longer walks on only a few days a week.
On that basis, they argue that physical activity guidance for older women should consider recommending at least 4,000 steps per day on one or two days a week as a realistic target for lowering mortality and cardiovascular disease risk.
A practical message for older adults
For many older people, hearing that 10,000 steps a day is the goal can be discouraging or simply unrealistic.
This study offers a more achievable benchmark and reinforces the principle that moving more, in any pattern, is better than remaining sedentary.
As always, individuals with long term conditions or mobility problems should seek personalised advice, but the broader lesson is simple.
You do not need perfection or daily targets to gain real health benefits. A few good walks a week that add up to several thousand steps can still make a meaningful difference.
