Is it better to count steps or minutes?
A recent study reveals that whether you prefer counting daily steps or tracking exercise duration, both approaches offer significant health benefits.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Preventive Medicine in Boston found that setting exercise goals based on either step count or minutes of activity correlates equally with reduced risks of premature death and heart disease, as reported in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Lead author Dr. Rikuta Hamaya emphasizes the importance of personal preferences when crafting an exercise plan. While some individuals may gravitate towards activities like walking or jogging, easily tracked by step count, others may opt for activities such as biking or swimming, where monitoring exercise duration is simpler.
Although current U.S. exercise guidelines emphasize minutes of physical activity per week, the prevalence of smartwatches has made step tracking more accessible. Consequently, researchers sought to compare the effectiveness of step-based versus time-based targets in promoting health outcomes.
Analyzing data from over 14,000 women enrolled in the national Women’s Health Study, researchers found that regardless of whether activity was measured in minutes or steps, the most active participants experienced a significant reduction in the risk of death or heart disease. This survival advantage persisted across age groups and body-mass index variations.
While steps offer a straightforward measure of physical activity and capture everyday movement, they may vary depending on individual factors such as age and intensity. Conversely, time-based goals provide a standardized measure of exercise intensity but may overlook the benefits of incidental physical activity.
Hamaya underscores the importance of offering diverse approaches to meet exercise goals, recognizing that movement looks different for everyone and that all forms of physical activity contribute to overall health and well-being.
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