A study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity notes that step counts typically range between 2,000-9,000 steps per day for the average healthy older adult.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), healthy seniors should walk 7,000 – 10,000 steps per day. That's an average of three to three and a half miles throughout the course of a day.
Recommended daily steps for adults over 65
As with every other age group, reaching your daily step count is important, so it's worth aiming for somewhere between 3,000 and 10,000 steps depending on your current activity levels and general health.
“More steps per day are better for your health. And the benefit in terms of mortality risk levels off around 6,000 to 8,000 for older adults and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults.”
In Australia, the average adult accumulates about 7400 steps a day. So an additional 3000 to 4000 steps through dedicated walking will get you to the 10,000 steps target.
Any amount of steps is better than none, so no stress if you have a busy day and don't manage your usual count — one study found that walking 4,400 steps a day reduced the risk of death by 41%, compared to fewer than 2,700.
Low active is 5,000 to 7,499 steps per day. Somewhat active is 7,500 to 9,999 steps per day. Active is more than 10,000 steps per day. Highly active is more than 12,500.
Continue increasing your daily steps until you're in the range of 6,000 to 8,000 steps if you're 60 or older, or 8,000 to 10,000 if you're younger. If you're already at the top of your range, keep it up. If you feel like you can do more, go for it.
Research points to the health indicators of various walking speeds in adults 65 and older: Speeds ≤ 1.3 miles per hour suggest poor health and functional status. A speed of 1.8 mph is the median walking pace for this population. Speeds ≥ 2.2 mph suggest healthier aging.
According to a 2018 study published in the journal Obesity, walking 10,000 steps a day is associated with weight loss and weight management. Plus, it's a low-impact exercise, making it accessible for all fitness levels.
Adults aged 65 and older need: At least 150 minutes a week (for example, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking. Or they need 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity such as hiking, jogging, or running. At least 2 days a week of activities that strengthen muscles.
Older adults who walk three to four miles a day — 6,000 to 9,000 steps — were found to be 40 to 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than those who walk a mile (2,000 steps) a day, according to research published in the journal Circulation.
How many steps should people take per day? For general fitness, most adults should aim for 10,000 steps per day, with fewer than 5,000 steps being a sign of a sedentary lifestyle. However, the number will depend on a person's age, current fitness level, and health goals.
Walking is good for health but walking faster is even better, study finds. How fast you walk could be just as important for your health as how many steps you take each day, a new study suggests.
The recommended amount of cardiovascular exercise for people over age 65 is 30 minutes per day, five days per week. If you can't do all 30 minutes at once, break up that 30 minutes into shorter sessions. Even 5- or 10-minute bouts of exercise count.
Generally, older adults in good physical shape walk somewhere between 2,000 and 9,000 steps daily. This translates into walking distances of 1 and 4-1/2 miles respectively. Increasing the walking distance by roughly a mile will produce health benefits.
Walking 5,000 steps a day is a more realistic goal compared to 10,000 steps. Although walking 10,000 steps a day is considered a magic number for getting fit, it may not be enough to cause weight loss if you are not walking fast enough. “The more steps you walk at high speed, the more calories you burn.”
Realistically, few of us reach that 10,000-step goal, anyway. According to recent estimates, most adults in America, Canada and other Western nations average fewer than 5,000 steps a day. And if we do reach the 10,000-step target, our feat tends to be ephemeral.
You've heard that walking 10,000 steps is the best thing you can do for your health. But when you have sore knees, walking five miles may seem impossible. The good news is that as few as 1,000 steps every day helps maintain mobility in your knees.
Popular fitness trackers and pedometers encourage people to take 10,000 steps per day, and one 2016 study agrees that 10,000 steps are ideal. This works out to roughly 5 miles of walking. People interested in walking for weight loss should consistently hit at least 10,000 steps each day.
Average steps by sex
The average number of steps a person takes per day may also vary by sex. The Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise study found that, on average, adult males took about 5,340 steps per day, whereas adult females took around 4,912 steps per day.
Volume remains important, she says. The current federal exercise guidelines suggest 30 minutes of brisk walking most days, which would translate into 3,000 steps taken at the 100-steps-per-minute pace.