Do you really need to take 10,000 steps a day? - Shannon Odell

While most people avoid spending

the night in jail, Jean Béliveau jumped at the opportunity. For the past three years, Béliveau had

been walking from country to country, with the goal of circumnavigating

the globe on foot. This required sleeping in tents, strangers’ homes, and the

occasional jail cell along the way. But this morning, as Béliveau

was ready to leave, the police chief, who had agreed

to his sleeping arrangement, was nowhere to be found,

and the guards weren’t buying his story. Few people have the time or desire

to walk such extreme lengths. However, research shows that adding even

a modest amount of walking to your daily routine can

dramatically improve your health. So, what exactly happens to your body

when you increase your daily step count? A single afternoon stroll

can improve your mood and ease symptoms of anxiety

and depression. Walking, especially at a brisk pace, is thought to trigger the release

of pain-relieving endorphins and curb the release of the stress

hormone cortisol. Within weeks of adding more steps

to your routine, your body adapts. While it may seem simple, walking

requires the coordination and effort of many muscles in your legs,

torso, and back. To keep up with the increase

in energy demand, the vessels around these muscles are

remodeled to deliver more oxygen. At the same time, your heart becomes

more efficient at pumping blood. In a few months, these changes

can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk

of heart attack and stroke. Carrying the weight of your body

as you walk places stress on the bones. But this stress actually makes

the bones stronger, as it stimulates the absorption

of calcium and minerals. That's why years of consistent walking

can help retain bone density, which usually declines with age. Building a lifelong walking habit

comes with many other benefits, from aiding in weight management

to reducing your risk for type 2 diabetes, numerous cancers, and dementia. Simply put, walking is exercise. And unlike other forms,

it doesn’t require equipment, and is often more accessible to people

of varying ages and fitness levels. While activity trackers usually bill

10,000 steps as the ideal benchmark, studies show that any increase in steps

per day can yield health benefits. And these steps don't need

to be taken continuously. For those who live

in walkable neighborhoods, steps are easily accumulated

throughout the day; walking to work, to pick up groceries,

or to meet with friends. And living where shops and amenities

are easy to get to on foot comes with its own set of perks. Residents in these communities are

often less reliant on vehicles, which translates to improved air quality and reduced local greenhouse

gas emissions. And it can even change the way

you see the world. One study of seniors in Hong Kong found that those living in more

walkable neighborhoods reported feeling less loneliness

and more life satisfaction than those living in less

walkable neighborhoods. So, why doesn’t everyone just walk more? One big reason is that many people

don’t have access to safe, well-maintained places to stroll. Despite the known benefits of walking, many cities and towns have been designed

with only driving in mind. State and local governments across the

globe often prioritize funding for highways and roads

over sidewalks and public parks. And even when walkable spaces exist, the routes to get to them aren’t

always pedestrian-friendly. In the US, residential and commercial

areas are typically zoned separately and often only connected by busy roadways. But there are ways to make places

more foot-friendly. In 2013, Vancouver city officials opened

the Comox-Helmcken Greenway, taking a two-kilometer road and converting it into a walkable

and bikeable space. Studies found that after opening, people living close to the greenway

got more exercise, reduced their daily car trips by 23%, and cut their personal greenhouse

gas emissions by 21%. And even small measures can help. In places like Bethel, Vermont,

for example, community members have improved

the walkability of their downtowns by adding simple features like painted

crosswalks and curb extensions. As for Béliveau, the guards

eventually let him out. He’d walk over 75,000 kilometers in total

to complete his journey. But it’s clear you don’t have to take

quite this many steps to see an impact.