Everyday Movement: Why Your Steps Matter More Than Your Workout

The short version

• Non-exercise movement can differ by hundreds of calories a day between people of similar size.
• It often falls when you diet, which can quietly slow your weight loss.
• Taking at least 7,000 steps a day is linked to significantly lower mortality risk.
• Break up long stretches of sitting. It's easier than finding time for another workout.

What this is

Researchers call this non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT. It's the energy you burn from everything that isn't sleeping, eating or formal exercise: walking to the car, cooking, cleaning, standing, carrying groceries and fidgeting.

An hour at the gym is only about 4% of your day. What you do in the other hours matters, too. Compare a warehouse worker with an office worker, and the gap can run to several hundred calories a day or more.

Why it matters when you're losing weight

When you eat less, your body often saves energy by moving less, without you noticing. You sit a bit longer, take fewer stairs and pace less on the phone. This is one of the hidden causes of plateaus. Keeping an eye on your step count is a simple way to catch it.

How many steps?

• Start with your baseline. Use your phone or watch and average a normal week.
• Add 1,000 to 2,000 a day, and hold there for a couple of weeks. Then repeat.
• A good long-term range for many people is 7,000 to 10,000. But any increase helps, especially if you're starting low.

In a study of over 2,000 middle-aged adults followed for about 11 years, those taking 7,000 or more steps a day had a 50 to 70% lower risk of death than those taking fewer. Studies like this can't prove cause and effect, but the pattern shows up across many studies.

20 easy ways to move more

At home

• Walk while you're on the phone
• Do chores with some energy, like vacuuming and mowing
• March during ads or between episodes
• Stand while folding laundry or chopping vegetables
• Take the long way around when bringing in the groceries, in several trips
• Do a lap around the block after dinner
• Stretch or do squats while the kettle boils
• Play with your kids or your dog

At work

• Set a reminder to stand every 30 to 60 minutes
• Walk during calls and meetings when you can
• Use a restroom on another floor
• Get your own water or coffee, in a small cup, so you have to refill it
• Take a 10-minute walk at lunch
• Stand or use a higher surface for part of the day, if possible

Out and about

• Park at the far side of the lot
• Get off the bus a stop early
• Take the stairs for short trips
• Walk or bike for short errands
• Walk around while you wait for your kid's practice to finish
• Use a basket instead of a cart for small shopping trips

Sitting

Long stretches of sitting are linked with worse health even in people who exercise. The research isn't settled on exactly how much is too much, but breaking it up is easy and low-risk. Standing for a couple of minutes every half hour is a good start. A standing desk isn't necessary, and standing all day has its own downsides. The key is to change positions often.

Sources

1. Paluch et al., JAMA Network Open (2021): Steps per day and mortality
2. CDC: Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults
3. CDC: Benefits of Physical Activity
4. Mayo Clinic: What Are the Risks of Sitting Too Much?

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Please check with a clinician before making big changes, especially if you have a health condition, take medication, or are pregnant. Read the full disclaimer.