![\"Young](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307007281-6787.jpg\")
\n\t\tHow many minutes do you need to be walking each day? The experts weigh in (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tHow many minutes do you need to be walking each day? The experts weigh in (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
We\u2019re all familiar with the idea that you should walk at least 10,000 steps <\/a>per day. But, as we all know by now, that figure is a load of old waffle.<\/p>\n It was hugely popularised ahead of the 1964\u00a0Tokyo<\/a>\u00a0Olympics<\/a>, having originated from a pedometer marketing campaign. The reason? The Japanese symbol for 10,000 looked a little bit like someone on a walk.<\/p>\n 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\u2019re hitting the mark.<\/p>\n And for good reason, too. One\u00a02019 YouGov study<\/a>\u00a0found 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tAsk Metro<\/p>\n Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about \u2013 powered by Metro and trusted publications.<\/p>\n But how many minutes do we need to be walking each day to boost our health? Metro <\/strong>chatted to the experts to find out.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t\t\tThe NHS will now pay for your shopping if you walk for 30 minutes a day\t\t\t<\/p>\n The\u00a0NHS<\/a>\u00a0is encouraging people to lace up their\u00a0walking shoes<\/a>\u00a0and step outside, as it\u2019s introducing a new\u00a0rewards programme <\/a>that\u2019ll entitle walkers who reach a certain distance each day to special discounts.<\/p>\n And, rather than asking the general public to reach 10,000 steps, it\u2019s instead motivating people to plod along for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n Over the course of a month, committing to this level of exercise would amount to walking a marathon.<\/p>\n For this reason, it\u2019s been named the \u2018Marathon A Month\u2019 challenge.<\/p>\n Walkers<\/a>\u00a0will be able to log their walks either using the NHS website or they can be tracked using a phone or smartwatch.<\/p>\n These steps will then be converted into incentives and discounts.<\/p>\n How many minutes you need to walk per day<\/p>\n Walking has proven benefits for health, including improving flexibility, boosting the immune system, and reducing type 2\u00a0diabetes<\/a>\u00a0risk. What\u2019s more, it can strengthen muscles, improve sleep, and boost mood.<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re physically able to do so, it\u2019s important to incorporate it into your daily movement.<\/p>\n As Scott Harrison, personal trainer and founder of The Six Pack Revolution, tells Metro<\/strong>, it\u2019s optimal to walk for at east 30 minutes each day<\/strong>.<\/p>\n He describes this golden half-hour as a \u2018realistic sweet spot\u2019 that\u2019s vastly achievable for most of us, even when working full-time.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s 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,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n \u2018If you tell people they need to exercise for an hour, many won\u2019t start at all. 30 minutes removes that barrier while still delivering significant health benefits when done consistently. <\/p>\n \u2018The best exercise is the one you\u2019re actually going to do.\u2019<\/p>\n Scott also recommends adding intervals, which involve walking for one minute at a quick pace, and then the same amount at a slower pace.<\/p>\n He suggests: \u2018The most important message is that something is better than nothing. <\/p>\n \u2018Even 10 to 15 minutes a day is worthwhile, and increasing gradually towards 30 minutes is a realistic and achievable goal for most people.\u2019<\/p>\n Chartered personal trainer and nutritionist Joseph Webb also backs this benchmark to help people towards their weekly exercise goals.<\/p>\n The UK chief medical officers\u2019 guidelines recommend adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise each week, of which walking can form a part.<\/p>\n \u2018The recommendation to stay active remains important throughout adulthood, but as we get older, maintaining muscle strength, balance and mobility becomes increasingly important too,\u2019 Joseph tells Metro.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018Walking remains one of the best forms of exercise at any age, but I\u2019d 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.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t On the upside, walking doesn\u2019t involve any special equipment, and you don\u2019t need to fork out for a gym membership. <\/p>\n But what it does achieve is improved cardiovascular fitness and circulation, and it\u2019s a simple way for us to get up and move around.<\/p>\n Joseph says: \u2018Could you do one long walk at the weekend instead? Absolutely, and it all contributes towards your weekly activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018However, if your goal is to support both your physical and mental wellbeing, I\u2019d much rather see someone walk for 20 to 30 minutes most days than save it all for one day each week.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tThis walking exercise gets your step count up even when you\u2019re at the office all day\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u2018Trigger points<\/a>\u2019 gamify your step count. <\/p>\n The concept, developed by\u00a0Vitality\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Habit Index, involves picking various \u2018bases\u2019 in your office \u2014 like the coffee machine or the stationery cupboard \u2014 and using that as a prompt to walk around a bit.<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n I picked the kettle as my base. So, every time I saw it, I did a loop around the office. If I wasn\u2019t particularly busy, I\u2019d throw in a walk to a different floor in the building, and back up again.<\/p>\n Effectively, I turned myself into a human version of Pac-Man, and just hoped my colleagues didn\u2019t think I\u2019d lost the plot walking around in circles.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n By lunchtime, I was surprised to see I\u2019d got myself up to 4,000, just by putting in a bit of extra graft.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307007275-6721.jpg\")
\n\t\tYou need to be walking for at least 20-30 minutes each day (Picture: Getty Images\/Maskot)<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307007284-72b8.jpg\")
\n\t\tYou don\u2019t need to lace up your running shoes to make a difference (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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