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The exact number of minutes you need to walk for per day to boost your health
We’re all familiar with the idea that you should walk at least 10,000 steps per day. But, as we all know by now, that figure is a load of old waffle.
It was hugely popularised ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, having originated from a pedometer marketing campaign. The reason? The Japanese symbol for 10,000 looked a little bit like someone on a walk.
Still, in 2026, many of us (myself included, to be fair) are obsessing over reaching this gold-standard number, constantly tracking either our fitness watches or our iPhones to see if we’re hitting the mark.
And for good reason, too. One 2019 YouGov study found almost half (45%) of UK adults are sedentary for at least six hours each day, while 46% of working adults walk for less than an hour each working day.
You might prefer to get your walks in all in one go, heading out for an hour each time to be done with it, or you might split it up into bite-sized chunks.
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But how many minutes do we need to be walking each day to boost our health? Metro chatted to the experts to find out.
The NHS will now pay for your shopping if you walk for 30 minutes a day
The NHS is encouraging people to lace up their walking shoes and step outside, as it’s introducing a new rewards programme that’ll entitle walkers who reach a certain distance each day to special discounts.
And, rather than asking the general public to reach 10,000 steps, it’s instead motivating people to plod along for 30 minutes.
Over the course of a month, committing to this level of exercise would amount to walking a marathon.
For this reason, it’s been named the ‘Marathon A Month’ challenge.
Walkers will be able to log their walks either using the NHS website or they can be tracked using a phone or smartwatch.
These steps will then be converted into incentives and discounts.
How many minutes you need to walk per day
Walking has proven benefits for health, including improving flexibility, boosting the immune system, and reducing type 2 diabetes risk. What’s more, it can strengthen muscles, improve sleep, and boost mood.
So, if you’re physically able to do so, it’s important to incorporate it into your daily movement.
As Scott Harrison, personal trainer and founder of The Six Pack Revolution, tells Metro, it’s optimal to walk for at east 30 minutes each day.
He describes this golden half-hour as a ‘realistic sweet spot’ that’s vastly achievable for most of us, even when working full-time.
‘It’s long enough for most people to raise their heart rate, improve circulation, and stimulate muscle growth and metabolism while taking part in some meaningful physical activity,’ he says.
‘If you tell people they need to exercise for an hour, many won’t start at all. 30 minutes removes that barrier while still delivering significant health benefits when done consistently.
‘The best exercise is the one you’re actually going to do.’
Scott also recommends adding intervals, which involve walking for one minute at a quick pace, and then the same amount at a slower pace.
He suggests: ‘The most important message is that something is better than nothing.
‘Even 10 to 15 minutes a day is worthwhile, and increasing gradually towards 30 minutes is a realistic and achievable goal for most people.’
Chartered personal trainer and nutritionist Joseph Webb also backs this benchmark to help people towards their weekly exercise goals.
The UK chief medical officers’ guidelines recommend adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise each week, of which walking can form a part.
‘The recommendation to stay active remains important throughout adulthood, but as we get older, maintaining muscle strength, balance and mobility becomes increasingly important too,’ Joseph tells Metro.
‘Walking remains one of the best forms of exercise at any age, but I’d encourage older adults to combine regular walking with strength and balance exercises at least twice a week to help maintain independence and reduce the risk of falls.’
On the upside, walking doesn’t involve any special equipment, and you don’t need to fork out for a gym membership.
But what it does achieve is improved cardiovascular fitness and circulation, and it’s a simple way for us to get up and move around.
Joseph says: ‘Could you do one long walk at the weekend instead? Absolutely, and it all contributes towards your weekly activity.
‘However, if your goal is to support both your physical and mental wellbeing, I’d much rather see someone walk for 20 to 30 minutes most days than save it all for one day each week.’
This walking exercise gets your step count up even when you’re at the office all day
‘Trigger points’ gamify your step count.
The concept, developed by Vitality’s Habit Index, involves picking various ‘bases’ in your office — like the coffee machine or the stationery cupboard — and using that as a prompt to walk around a bit.
It’s not about setting off on a 10-minute stroll every time you see the water cooler, but rather adding in a quick lap of the kitchen, for example.
I picked the kettle as my base. So, every time I saw it, I did a loop around the office. If I wasn’t particularly busy, I’d throw in a walk to a different floor in the building, and back up again.
Effectively, I turned myself into a human version of Pac-Man, and just hoped my colleagues didn’t think I’d lost the plot walking around in circles.
When I started this experiment in the morning, my step count was around 3,000, but I was feeling lethargic, reaching for my coffee with a yawn.
By lunchtime, I was surprised to see I’d got myself up to 4,000, just by putting in a bit of extra graft.
On average, adults walk around 100 steps per minute, which means taking five minutes away equates to an extra 500 steps. If you do this routine four times, you can add an extra 2,000 steps.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk
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