How many steps do you really need? Expert reveals right where you want to be

Want to live longer? Step to it.You don’t necessarily need 10,000 steps a day, a misconception that actually traces back to a 60-year-old marketing campaign.“Everybody talks about 10,000 steps a day,” a workout that can take over two hours, said Dr.Theodore Strange, a geriatrician and internal medicine specialist at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital.

On the other hand, taking fewer than 2,000 steps is considered sedentary, he added.So, what’s the sweet spot between the two?Strange’s advises tracking your steps for a few days, as increasing your baseline improves health.Research shows that anything over 2,200 helps steps helps you live longer.“Get them up to that 5,000 to 6,000 range and then try to get to 7,000 to 8,000 a day,” he suggested, noting that range is “right where you want to be.”Officially, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends 7,000 steps or more, a threshold research shows lowers the risk of mortality by 70%.“If you can get it to 10,000, it’s great,” Strange says.

“Anything more than that, you’re an athlete; you’re a star.”Step count doesn’t tell the whole story though.A new study shows that walking speed is also a powerful indicator of longevity.In what might come as no surprise to fast-walking New Yorkers, a quicker pace is associated with a lower risk of untimely death.Researchers looked at data from over 10,000 older Brits an average age of 69.

They found that walking faster — whether in a lab setting, during everyday activities or when consciously walking faster — was associated with a 17 to 23% lower risk of early death.Even a tiny speed increase of .1 meters per second correlated with lower mortality.Importantly, the authors note it isn’t the act of fast walking itself that makes you live longer.Rather, walking fast indicates that the body’s internal systems are working well.To walk quickly, you need good cardiorespiratory function, muscular strength, balance and a health...