Walking is the most underrated exercise for parents. It needs no equipment, you can bring a stroller or a chatty child, and the research on its benefits keeps getting stronger.
Do you really need 10,000 steps?
The famous 10,000 figure is often traced back to the marketing of a Japanese pedometer in the 1960s, rather than to a scientific study. Recent research has looked at the question properly. A large 2022 analysis pooling data from more than a dozen studies found that the risk of early death fell as daily steps rose, with the benefits levelling off at roughly 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day for older adults and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults. In other words, more is better up to a point, and any increase from a low starting level helps.
A four-week plan
| Week | Goal | How |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find your baseline | Wear a tracker or use your phone and change nothing |
| 2 | Add 1,000 steps a day | A ten-minute walk after dinner |
| 3 | Add another 1,000 | Walk the school run or park further away |
| 4 | One long walk | A weekend family walk or hike of 45 to 60 minutes |
Sneaking steps into family life
- Walk and talk: take phone calls on foot.
- Make the park the default playdate venue.
- Choose a weekend trail and let children set the pace and pick the snacks.
- Walk briskly enough that you can talk but not sing; that is moderate intensity.
Why a weekend in Las Vegas is secretly a walking holiday
Ask anyone who has spent a few days on the Las Vegas Strip what surprised them, and many will mention their step count. The Strip runs for around four miles along Las Vegas Boulevard, and the resorts are so enormous that walking from one casino to the next can take far longer than it looks. A single resort can combine a casino floor, shopping arcades, restaurants and a theatre under one roof, and getting from your room to the street can be a long walk on its own.
That is good news if you are planning a grown-ups' trip. Wear proper walking shoes, carry water in the desert heat, use the pedestrian bridges and plan an itinerary that clusters resorts close together. Our guide to a parents' night out in Las Vegas includes a walking route between the Strip's best free sights, and you can easily cover 15,000 steps between the blackjack tables, the Bellagio fountains and dinner.
Pair it with strength: two short sessions a week of our 20-minute strength workout complete the picture.