Is There a Best Way to Measure Exercise?

• Step counts and minutes are both useful ways to measure physical activity, a new study suggests.
• A greater number of steps per day or minutes of exercise per week are both associated with lower health risks, researchers found.
• Move more, sit less is still a good overall goal, regardless of how you track the movement.

Aiming for 7,000 or 10,000 steps a day is an easy way to increase your physical activity, which can decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions.

But the current U.S. physical activity guidelines recommend that people measure their physical activity in minutes, rather than steps — specifically, at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week.

So, is it really better to count the minutes you spend exercising instead of counting your steps?

A new study suggests no.

Step- and time-based targets were both associated with lower risks of death from any cause and from cardiovascular disease events in older women, researchers found.

This suggests that finding what works for you may be the best way to meet your health goals.

“For some, especially for younger individuals, exercise may involve activities like tennis, soccer, walking or jogging, all of which can be easily tracked with steps. However, for others, it may consist of bike rides or swimming, where monitoring the duration of exercise is simpler,” study author Rikuta Hamaya, MD, PhD, a researcher in the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a news release.

“That’s why it’s important for physical activity guidelines to offer multiple ways to reach goals,” she said. “Movement looks different for everyone, and nearly all forms of movement are beneficial to our health.”

The results were published May 20 in JAMA Internal Medicine.