How Many Steps Per Day Per Age And Gender In Daily Life

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Bajaj Finserv Health

General Health

5 min read

Synopsis

Setting your steps per day goal by age and gender is a smart way to boost your fitness and reduce illness. The steps per day goal for males may be more than women due to the physical difference.

Key Takeaways

  • Meeting the daily step goal by age and gender can reduce your health risks
  • Steps per day goal for males is usually on the higher side than females
  • Steps per day goal by age generally decrease based on your mobility

The reason why everyone is talking about achieving their steps per day goal by age and gender today is because of the minimal efforts it takes and how important it is for our health. In fact, the fitness trend of tracking steps and measuring wellness cannot be called short-lived, as the number of health wearables has doubled from 325 to 722 million in just three years, from 2016 to 2019 [1].

Walking has been well known to help people stay active with minimum effort. Be it taking stairs instead of elevators or simply walking outdoors or even indoors, every step takes you forward to better health. The benefits of walking are compounded when you can achieve your steps per day goal by age, gender, or occupation.

Although there are no strict guidelines to set a daily step goal by age or other factors, it is crucial to know what to ballpark so that you don’t go overboard or stay underactive. Contrary to the popular belief of taking 10,000 steps a day to stay fit, the actual average number is quite under that! Research shows that you can reduce your mortality rate by taking around 4,500 steps in a day. You can go up to 7,500 steps a day, but going above that will probably not be as beneficial, as per research [2]. Read on to know more about the steps per day goal by age and gender.

Steps Per Day Goal For Female And Male

Given the physical difference between a man and woman, it is natural that there will be a difference in the number of steps each gender should ideally take for overall wellness. Generally, women don’t walk as much as men. The difference in the daily step goals for men and women rounds up to around 1000-1500 steps.

According to research, adult women take about 4,900 steps, and men take around 5,300 steps. This difference is also visible in the steps per day goal by age. Young girls tend to take almost 13,000 steps, whereas young boys take nearly 16,000 steps. While setting your daily goals, you should remember that you do not have to stick to this number. Set your steps per day goal for males and females as per your comfort, given the broader guidelines of reaching 7000-8000 steps a day.

Additional Read: Weight Loss Meal for WomenSteps Per Day infographic

Daily Steps Per Day Goal By Age

As you grow older, your body goes through a lot of physical changes. More specifically, as you get age, your body loses some of its strength. This is why seniors are often advised not to strain their bodies physically. On the other hand, when you are young, your body is growing. If you maintain an active lifestyle during this period, you can improve your strength and health, and this can set you up for life.

Your daily activities generally reduce as you age. This also has an impact on the number of steps you need to take. One study found that people who are under the age of 18 should set an average of 10,000 to 16,000 daily step goals by age. The same in older people go down to a minimum of 2,000 and a maximum of 9,000 steps in a day.

Since the number of steps you need to take in a day largely depends on your lifestyle, they may vary for everyone. To get a more accurate estimate of your steps per day goal by age and gender, consult a doctor. Remember that setting a higher steps per day goal by age or gender may cause more harm than good.

Daily steps goal  infographic

Benefits Of Meeting The Steps Per Day Goal By Age

Walking is one of the most basic and easiest ways to start your journey towards a healthier and more active lifestyle. And even though it is one of the easiest exercises, the benefits of walking and taking a few thousand steps every day are many. Given below are some of the ways in which meeting your steps per day goal by age and gender can help you become fitter. 

Reduced health risks 

By walking daily, you can reduce your risk for a number of health conditions. This includes diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, depression, obesity, blood pressure, and more.

Increase your muscular and bone strength 

When you walk, your body weight is on your feet and legs. As a result, it helps increase your muscle strength. While walking, a higher level of pressure is placed on your bones, which helps increase your bone strength.

Improve your endurance 

Walking is a form of endurance-building exercise. When you slowly increase your daily goals, even by a little, it can help you steadily build your endurance. Once you achieve that, you can move on to more intense endurance-building exercises.

Maintain ideal weight 

Any form of activity can help you burn calories. To use walking as a means to lose weight, you should try to modify your diet too. A healthy diet and daily walking can have a significantly positive impact on your weight.

Paying attention to your actions and the impact they have on your health can help you stay on top of any health condition. To make it easier, you can use a step tracker to know how many steps you take on a daily basis. Step tracker benefits you by tracking not just your steps but also your progress and giving you easy access to the data.  

An important thing to remember here is to notice the changes in your health. If you see any concerning symptoms, contact a doctor. You can book an appointment on Bajaj Finserv Health to consult with the best practitioners in your vicinity. Consulting a doctor can also help you better understand the effects of a sedentary lifestyle and what measures can help you stay healthy. You can even ask physicians about the 6-minute walk test to know your endurance. This way, you easily take the necessary steps towards leading a more active and healthier lifestyle.

Published on 29 Jun 2022Last updated on 23 Feb 2023
  1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/487291/global-connected-wearable-devices/
  2. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/far-fewer-than-10000-steps-per-day-can-boost-health/

Please note that this article is solely meant for informational purposes and Bajaj Finserv Health Limited (“BFHL”) does not shoulder any responsibility of the views/advice/information expressed/given by the writer/reviewer/originator. This article should not be considered as a substitute for any medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your trusted physician/qualified healthcare professional to evaluate your medical condition. The above article has been reviewed by a qualified doctor and BFHL is not responsible for any damages for any information or services provided by any third party.

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