How long to walk 10,000 steps by age and gender

The 10,000 Steps Goal: Understanding the Time and Benefits

If walking more is one of your New Year’s resolutions, it’s likely that your target will be 10,000 steps. This number is often considered the gold standard in step count, although recent studies suggest that between 7,000 and 8,000 steps a day might be more effective in reducing the risk of disease and premature death.

Every 1,000 steps a person takes each day can lower their systolic blood pressure by about 0.45 points, which is beneficial for heart health. The more you move (within reasonable limits), the more likely you are to reduce your risk of chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease and support your mental well-being.

Now, if you’re wondering how long it takes to walk 10,000 steps, here’s what you need to know. The time required depends on several factors, including walking pace and stride length. Two exercise physiologists explain how long it typically takes to cover 10,000 steps, so you can plan accordingly.

How Long Does It Take to Walk 10,000 Steps?

For a person of average height (5-foot-3-inches for women and 5-foot-9-inches for men), a 2,000-step walk is approximately a mile, according to Laura A. Richardson, a clinical exercise physiologist and clinical associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology.

This step count varies depending on the length of someone’s leg and stride, as well as their cadence. However, if it takes you 2,000 steps to cover one mile and you walk at an average pace of about 20 minutes per mile, then it would take you about 100 minutes to walk 10,000 steps, explains Richardson.

Studies published in Sustainability in 2020 reviewed walking habits and found that healthy older adults typically average 100 steps per minute when moving at a moderate pace. This translates to about 100 minutes to clock 10,000 steps.

The time can vary depending on your walking pace. If you walk a 15-minute mile, it’ll take you 75 minutes to cover 10,000 steps, and if you walk a 30-minute mile, it’ll take you 150 minutes (or 2.5 hours) to cover those 10,000 steps.

Other factors that influence the time include age, fitness level, and the 'walkability' of a given location. For example, walking up a rocky hill in the Peak District or the Lakes will take longer than walking on an uncrowded street.

To help you figure out your 10,000 step time, you can check out these average walking times for different age groups, according to research. Or, look to your fitness tracker to find your average walking speed.

Average Walking Time Based on Age Group

How Many Calories Do You Burn Per 10,000 Steps?

To determine how many calories you burn walking 10,000 steps, you need to know the metabolic equivalent rate (MET) for your exact pace. A MET is calculated by multiplying the body’s oxygen consumption by bodyweight every minute. One MET is roughly equal to the amount of oxygen you consume at rest and is also equal to one calorie.

According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, walking at less than two miles per hour is equivalent to 2 METs per minute. This means someone who weighs 150 pounds burns fewer than 140 calories per hour. Meanwhile, that same person walking at a brisk pace of approximately 3.5 miles per hour is equivalent to 4.5 METs, leading to a calorie burn of about 306 per hour.

Walking at a very brisk pace of four to six miles per hour is roughly equivalent to 5 METs, per the NASM. ‘It’s five times the amount of energy you need compared to rest,’ adds Reed. So, you can burn around 340 calories per hour.

To put that in the context of 10,000 steps, let’s say you walk about three miles per hour (20-minute mile), but it takes you one hour and 40 minutes (100 minutes) to cover 10,000 steps. In that time, you would burn approximately 450 calories (based on a 150-pound person).

To get a more specific number, use a calculator like the one from Cornell University to figure out exactly how many calories you burn taking 10,000 steps.

What’s Better: Walking 10,000 Steps at Once or Throughout the Day?

Richardson and Reed agree that the health benefits of walking 10,000 steps, as well as the calorie-burning effects, are always positive and are never negatively affected by whether they are done all at once or throughout the day.

If walking 10,000 steps takes about 90 minutes and you don’t have that much time during one outing, you might be able to break it up throughout the day – say, 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes at lunch and 30 minutes after work – and that’s just as good, says Richardson.

In fact, breaking it up may actually have some added benefits for the 'active couch potato,' according to Reed. ‘An active couch potato is when you get up, do a workout, and the rest of your day you’re sitting still,’ explains Reed. Plus, research shows several benefits of movement 'snacks,' including helping you build muscle, which can boost your metabolism.

The more important consideration is making sure you get those steps in every day, rather than once in a while. Richardson recommends choosing to walk at times that give you the fewest barriers to commitment. One option might be walking the kids to school and back, rather than driving.

How Can You Boost the Benefits of Your 10,000 Steps?

Richardson says that to truly kick up the calorie burn, you have to change the intensity of your movement, which might mean adding in some running, walking at an incline on the treadmill, or walking up a hill.

Reed also suggests adding a weighted vest to your walks (or runs) – in other words, rucking – to increase the intensity level.

Finally, you may wonder if getting those steps on the treadmill is as beneficial as heading outside. There are pros and cons to both. ‘Pros of a treadmill are it’s easier to manipulate,’ Reed says. ‘You can have complete control over the length of the intervals, the speed, and the incline much more easily there. But there’s also something to be said about getting your physical activity outside. There are additional mental benefits like stress relief and feeling more connected with your environment that people can gain from being active outside.’

Richardson agrees: ‘The nice thing about being outdoors is the sunlight, the fresh air and the different level terrain, depending on what type of surface someone’s walking on, that can engage different muscles,’ she says. ‘So again, pros and cons to both. Really, choose whatever you’re going to stick with. That’s the biggest piece of it.’