Think 10,000 steps a day is enough to stay healthy? A new study suggests we might want to move quite a bit more to improve our fitness. Experts say 15,000 steps per day – equivalent to a seven-and-a- half-mile hike – are required to gain the maximum health boost, and only if the pace is kept brisk.
The figure is based on studies looking at the health of hunter gatherers in the Tanzanian savannah – and Glaswegian postmen. These found that the benefits of exercise rise the more we do – and only plateau at a remarkably high level.
Evolutionary anthropologist Professor Herman Potzner, of Duke University in the US state of North Carolina, outlined the new findings in New Scientist magazine. His research into a hunter gatherer group called the Hadza in Tanzania suggests the 'optimal dose' of daily exercise is about two hours a day – or 15,000 steps.
People need to be walking hard enough to get the heart pumping faster than normal. The Hadza's high activity levels meant they had 'the healthiest hearts on the planet… and stay strong and spry into old age,' Prof Potzner added.
Separately, a study of postal workers in Glasgow found those who took more than 15,000 steps 'had cardio-metabolic health on a par with hunter-gatherers', despite living in a city known for its poor health.
Prof Potzner believes humans need so much exercise because we have spent the vast majority of our evolutionary history being active – spending our days gathering food and hunting animals. Unless we mimic ancient habits, we are likely to succumb to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
