Disclaimer: The information in this article is general in nature and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any exercise programme or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
You do not need to reach 10,000 steps for walking to count. A 2026 study linked more daily steps with lower death rates. Among people taking fewer steps, a quicker pace during their most active minutes was also linked with lower rates. The study offers a useful way to think about walking, though it cannot prove that speeding up will extend your life.
More steps, a quicker pace, or both?
Researchers studied 64,743 UK adults who wore wrist trackers for a week. They then followed the group for about eight years.
For pace, researchers averaged steps per minute during each person's 30 most active minutes. Those minutes could be spread across the day. The study did not test a continuous 30-minute brisk walk.
Among people taking fewer than 5,000 steps a day, those with a quicker pace had lower death rates than the slowest group. At a peak pace of 80 steps per minute, the estimated rate was 28% lower. Taking more steps at a slower pace showed a similar pattern. The lowest rates were in the 7,500-to-10,000-step group.
That 28% is a comparison between groups. It does not mean a person can cut their own risk by 28% simply by walking faster.
How certain is the pace finding?
There is stronger evidence for taking more steps than for pace on its own. A 2022 review of 15 studies linked more steps with lower death rates. The association levelled off at different counts by age, so 10,000 is not a universal cut-off.
Results for pace are mixed. A 2020 study found no clear link with death rates once total steps were taken into account. The 2022 review did find a link for some measures of peak pace. The new study adds evidence that pace may matter when step counts are lower, but it does not settle the question.
What this means for your walks
This was an observational study. Quicker walkers may have been healthier for other reasons, and one week of tracker data cannot show how their habits changed later. Most participants were middle-aged or older UK adults. The results do not set a pace or step target for every Australian.
Australia's activity guidelines for adults 18–64 and older adults recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity on most days. They also encourage light activity throughout the day.
For a brisk walk, try the talk test: you can still talk, but your breathing is quicker than usual. It is simpler than trying to copy the study's pace figures.
Tips from Australian walkers
Australian walkers have shared a few ways to make regular walking easier to fit in. Local walking groups can help if you prefer company.
- Build pace gradually. Heather Lee said walking faster helped her feel better after her husband died. She joined a local group and later took up race walking. If you want to increase your pace, the Heart Foundation advises doing so gradually.
- Split up your walking. Sydney writer Jennifer Wong tried 20-minute sessions during a step challenge. Music and TV helped her keep going. She reached 10,000 steps on some days and missed walks on others.
- Start with an easy route. Amanda Kidd began with local trails before walking Tasmania's South Coast Track years later. Her advice was to try an easy trail with a friend, then build up.
If one longer walk is hard to fit in, Healthdirect suggests three 10-minute walks instead.
