How Many Steps Should We Get Every Day?
The official exercise recommendations are a “trade-off between optimizing health outcomes and minimizing requirements for individuals,” but what does the science say is best?
This is the first video in a four-part series. Stay tuned for Exercise Is Medicine ( ), Does Exercise Extend Your Lifespan or Just Your Healthspan? ( ), and How Much Exercise Is Too Much? ( ).
For more on walking, see:
• Longer Life Within Walking Distance ( )
• How Much Should You Exercise? ( )
• Standing Up for Your Health ( )
• How Much Exercise to Sustain Weight Loss? ( )
• Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation ( )
• Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress with Watercress ( )
I have a lot of other exercise videos, too. Check out the topic page ( ).
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Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM
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13500 from now on then 🙂 thank you Dr Greger!
_But I read it’s not just the number of steps but the pace that’s important!_ Indeed, I understand that if you stroll slowly, your 10000+ steps ain’t going to gain you much (although better than just sitting). You need a cadence of >100 steps per minute (which is not that difficult to achieve) and that at a brisk pace, 7000 steps is pretty optimal.
You read right. Whoever shown to have benefitted from walking is so heavy, sick, old, and out of shape that a simple walk in their case corresponds to high intensity training for them. You and I and anyone else not comparable to a freakishly big and old hippo will not see any benefits to just stroll around the house.
@meonyoutubenow As someone who is heavy, sick, and out of shape, imma ask you maybe reconsider “hippo” as a descriptor. It’s pretty awful.
Interested to see Dr Greger’s broader take on exercise. I’ve read his major books, and follow a WFPB diet. One of the (few) areas where I disagree with Greger is low protein intake, which I believe he cautions against due to acute inflammation (I won’t butcher his argument by trying to restate it). But I think the recommendation should be situation specific. I’m a 30-something rock climber interested in increasing athletic performance, and for my situation, getting significant amount of (plant) protein daily is import to support muscle building and recovery. Most vegan athletes follow this approach as well. Greger I think does a fantastic job answering “how do sick people get less sick”, but the same guidance doesn’t always also answer “how do healthy people get healthier” or “how do athletes increase performance”
You disagreeing with facts doesn’t make them not true 😂
dr. greger is not an athlete and still at the age (only just) where he can ignore muscle mass, but he’s about to watch his parents navigate the world of sarcopenia. i expect he will have a newfound focus on protein supplementation and its value wrt to wfpb diet
So, you are saying he says low protein intake is healthier for us? I’ll have to try to find that in his stuff. I do think he probably doesn’t care how much protein you get from WFPB sources, but obviously is against the animal protein sources……
Totally agree!
I aim for 2 hours of activity most days. About one hour in the moderate range (brisk walking, easy jogging, isolation exercises like curls), about one half hour (max) in the intense range (faster jogging or intervals, compound exercises like pushups), and one half hour in the easy range (mobility, 10 minute after dinner walk). I’m 68, not exercising is not an option.
I always thought the more the better.
Riding a bicycle is a great way to exercise. Ebikes are bringing many older adults back to cycling.
Cities need to do more to encourage people to ride bicycles. Safe protected bike lanes and trails are needed so adults and children can ride safely. Speak up for bicycles in your community. Bicycles make life and cities better. Ask your local transportation planner and elected officials to support more protected bike lanes and trails. Children should be riding a bicycle to school and not be driven in a minivan. Be healthier and happier. Ride a bicycle regularly.
yeah, I need to get out more on my bike……it is fun and a nice way to exercise……
It is not safe for children to ride bikes to school anymore with crime and illegals entering the country
My best investment was buying a dog , since then I have a lot more steps …
🩷
Same. Got a rescue hound in 2017. She and I have averaged 3.5 Miles per day in almost all weather since then. It’s good exercise too, lot’s of starting and stoping, variable speeds, sometimes a little running and lot’s of hills. Dogs will keep you alive – and not just because of the exercise. (and lot’s of cookies!)
Don’t buy a dog, rescue an adult dog, you go straight to exercise benefits without the puppy/adolescence phase. A medium mixed breed dog will keep you fit
Thank you!
Thanks…I was hoping for this episode, will share this with my family. Then a tip, to also get extra neuroplastic benefits, do not just walk. Instead, walk mindfully, optimal walking exercises many more muscles than just the habitual ones, one key is to lengthen breathing a bit. And to explain why walking can extend our lifespan, one aspect is improved sleep quality
Does anyone know (I’ll try to ask Dr. Greger in a Q&A soon), I have extreme energy limitations, suspected CFS/FND. I am around 99% wfpb sos free (my 1% is that some days I might have compliant bread, homemade seitan or even a small handful of oven chips – U.K. based).
My HbA1c is 26.76, my total cholesterol is 3.11, LDL is 1.7, HDL is 1.25. Triglycerides 0.57. Not sure if any other numbers would be helpful. I’ve been vegan for almost 10 yrs, wfpb for at least 5 years. Serious as I am now for 2.5 yrs. I’m 38 yrs old, a woman, 167cm and 65kg.
I’m also a wheelchair user and very inactive. Lucky if I manage 1300 steps on a busy day, but that’s often 4 days a week at most. And often followed by 3 days of 400-800 steps. I rarely self propel in the wheelchair because I also struggle with severe muscle fatigue and pain in all and any muscles that I use, particularly for repetitive motions.
I would really like to ensure I’m healthy, but I can’t exercise, or even stand or walk for very long at one time. Short periods of walking may work, but I’m not certain and my pain management team aren’t looking to help me improve, just to manage my energy and pain levels. I don’t smoke or drink or have any maladaptive coping mechanisms, I don’t think.
Any advice anyone wants to give? Will I be okay or do I really need to try to move more? And strength training, etc? I appear to be quite exercise intolerant, but I really don’t want to be.
I’m not a Dr or expert, simply another person with chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia. I was once very active but became de conditioned over time. I applaud your desire to care for your health as best you can; I know it is really frustrating. I have become more fit by starting where I was, rather than worrying about recommendations like those on this video. I began adding exercise “snacks”, just a few minutes of doing something to raise my heart rate, throughout the day. Later, I slowly added weight training, using videos. I decided that I was going to feel awful anyway, so might as well feel it by being healthier. I now move daily and have added hiit, and am stronger, partly by following experts, partly by giving my self positive reinforcement. I wish you all the very best.
Be strong – willed and go on a juice only diet for as long as possible to get rid of your multiple diseases. There are many videos and guides on YouTube who may help you.
Be strong – will and go on a juice only diet for as long as possible to get rid of your multiple diseases. There are a number of videos and guides who may help you.
@@YouTherapy Thank you, I really appreciate your comment and advice. I’m suspected CFS/FND. It’s wonderful what you’ve managed to build up to and the mindset shift you’ve accomplished also.
@@rajarshi57 I’m sorry, but it’s really not as simple as this (also juices/clenses are not healthy). I’m very concerned that it’s also harmful to spread the idea that anyone or everyone can heal anything/everything? I think you were trying to help, but this sort of comment actually doesn’t help. It can harm. I wish you all the best on your journey, but hope perhaps you can look at more evidenced based sources of information such as from this channel.
There is no way that anyone can “walk” 49,000 steps in 150 minutes! Doc, check your math!
Certainly more is usually better if you’re a low activity person, but once you’re moving regularly, isn’t it more beneficial to look at intensity as well? My understanding is that you benefit from getting into the “zone 2” level for 80% or so of the time you exercise, and that if you’re just easefully walking in zone 1, you are not giving your CV system the activity it needs?
I just don’t feel right until I’ve done my morning workout. I love exercise and you definitely feel the benefits!
@6:12 13,500 (Steps / day) = max longevity Dose
Come on…..I can’t believe you folks deleted my post??
or did YouTube do it??? whatever, my comments were not bad or controversial…….
@@trevorregay9283 On my screen your comment was 5 minutes ago and your reply to that comment was 44 minutes ago so my bet is on YouTube. They do odd things to comments. They don’t like links that aren’t to other videos.
Fascinating! Thank you so much <3
❤
How does this account for height and weight? A woman at 5’5 who weighs 160 lbs vs the same height who weighs 120 lbs would have different walking levels to reach the same results, right?
I walk 20,000 steps a day at a moderate pace for weighloss .I use a under desk treadmill and just watch youtube/netflix while walking at 2.5
2:00 The simple key thing to remember is that distance matters, not pace.