How many steps do you need to take per day to lose fat?
How many steps should you take each day? This is a question that fat loss personal trainers get asked all the time. The answer depends on your goals and what type of body you are trying to achieve.
Is it really possible to lose fat by walking? It sounds too good to be true, but don't worry, there's some science behind the fat loss benefits of walking! We'll explain how this all works in a bit more detail.
First off, let's start with some background information on fat and weight loss: fat is stored energy that you accumulate when you consume more calories than you burn through physical activity. To lose fat you need to achieve a caloric deficit by burning more calories than you consume. Walking is a great way to stay active and continue burning calories while recovering from your strength training sessions. The gold standard for steps taken per day is around 10,000 steps, but the more fat you want to lose the higher steps per day you'll need to take.
Most people (especially desk jobs) complete around 3,000 - 5,000 steps per day, which classifies them as being inactive. Progressively adding 500-1,000 every few weeks is a great strategy to increase your daily activity levels and create a bigger caloric deficit.
Although 10,000 steps is the gold standard for daily activity levels, a minimum of 7,000 steps a day is recommended for health benefits such as the lowered risk of heart problems and type II diabetes.
Takeaway
The step counts for fat loss vary from person to person - it's important that you track your progress so you can see what works best for YOU! If fat loss is your goal we recommend taking greater than 8,000 steps per day!
