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Walking is Fitness - How Long Does It Take To Walk 10,000 Steps?

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Author: Walking is Fitness
Categories: Fitness
Tags: fitness
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 14:01 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Start small with a 10-minute daily walk and build up gradually, rather than trying to hit 10,000 steps (about 1 hour 40 minutes of walking) right away. The speaker notes that the average person already takes about 4,000 steps daily, so reaching 10,000 means adding roughly 6,000 steps, or about an hour of extra walking. He also reframes the time question: a 20,000-step day takes about 3 hours 20 minutes, which leaves little time for sitting or sleeping.

Key Points

  • The biggest barrier to walking 10,000 steps is time. Finding an hour a day to walk is still a lot for most people, and the speaker believes that is probably one of the biggest roadblocks to exercise and fitness.
  • The average person walks about 4,000 steps a day through everyday activity, such as errands, walking from the car, and moving around work and home.
  • Surveys commonly cite lack of time and busy schedules as top reasons for not exercising, along with the fact that exercise often isn't enjoyable.
  • Thinking about daily walking in terms of how much time is spent sitting or sleeping shifted the speaker's perspective on the time commitment.
  • The Walking is Fitness podcast, a 10-minute daily show recorded during walks, is mentioned as something listeners can use for motivation to keep walking.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions:
    • Start with a 10-minute walk every day.
    • Once 10 minutes feels like part of the daily routine, increase to 20 minutes, then to 30 minutes, until that feels normal.
    • As walking time grows further, split it into two 30-minute walks per day, for example one at lunchtime and one after work in the evening if the weather allows.
    • Keep the long-term goal in mind: about 1 hour 40 minutes of walking equals 10,000 steps on average.
  • Background: a Newsweek senior editor asked the speaker to write an article based on an earlier video about walking 20,000 steps daily for more than two years, which was published January 28th.
  • The 10,000-step figure is an average. Some people walk less and some more, so individual times will vary.
  • The speaker's view is that 10,000 steps is a poor starting goal because most people will not commit to an hour of walking every day, even if they feel motivated on day one.

Bottom Line

Build walking time gradually, starting at 10 minutes a day, and treat the step count as a long-term target rather than an immediate requirement.