A woman set herself the challenge of walking 20,000 steps daily and shared the effects on her body after completing 30 days.
Healthcare guidelines often suggest aiming for 10,000 steps per day, though opinions vary on the ideal range.
Dr. Mike Israetel notes that benefits can be seen with daily steps ranging from 6,000 to 12,000.
He stated, “6,000 to 12,000 steps per day for most people is totally cool, but a better way to put that is probably if you’re doing a lot fewer than five or 6,000 steps per day all the time and you don’t get a lot of physical activity otherwise, you could be living longer if you did more physical activity in most cases.”
Other research suggests that walking 7,000 steps daily may lower the risk of cancer by 11 percent.
Increasing your daily steps by 1,000 has been linked to a 15 percent reduction in all-cause mortality, according to a study from 2023.
Ilva Ignatovica, a health and fitness influencer, decided to attempt the ambitious goal of 20,000 steps a day.
In a YouTube video, Ilva spoke about her journey during the last week of the 30-day challenge.
“I experienced some back pain and quickly realized that just because I walk so much does not mean I can skip stretching and strength workouts,” she shared.
“On the other hand, I felt proud of my determination, grateful for the beautiful walks, and happy the two lost kilos,” Ilva continued, discussing the positives of her increased step count.
To reach 20,000 steps, Ilva spent about four hours walking each day.
She mentioned that dedicating so much time to walking meant she couldn’t focus on strength workouts as much as before.
Viewers of her three-year-old video shared their thoughts and experiences on increasing step counts for better health.
One commenter noted, “I did 20k per day for 6 weeks. 8k at 5am and 8k at 5pm, 7 days a week. The other 4k I got through my normal work day. Completely turned my health profile around.”
Another shared, “I reversed my pre-diabetes… just by walking extra every day and avoiding sugary foods.”