The Science-Backed Step Count That Keeps Older Women Healthier Longer

<div><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/68f7a9f71800003837e8edad.jpg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale" alt="" data-caption="" data-credit-link-back="" data-credit="The Good Brigade via Getty Images" /></div><div class="content-list-component text"><p>If you’re looking to <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/best-exercise-reverseing-ageing_uk_678f7494e4b09896a6c05c56">stay healthy in older age</a>, a new study has suggested the number of steps you take each week matters far more for your health than how often you actually do it.</p><p>That’s according to new research <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/10/13/bjsports-2025-110311" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine</a>, which found clocking up at least 4,000 daily steps on just one or two days per week has been linked to a lower risk of death among older women.</p><p>It also helped lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. </p><h2><strong>Why your step count matters</strong></h2><p>We often talk about the importance of getting 10,000 steps a day – which, it turns out, was <a role="link" href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/forget-10000-steps-a-day-this-is-the-number-you-should-focus-on-instead_uk_662f5bcde4b0eb5fda50ab92" data-vars-item-name="figure of 10k a marketing tool" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="6881f026e4b0cde1a1cc29a0" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="662f5bcde4b0eb5fda50ab92" data-vars-target-content-type="buzz" data-vars-type="web_internal_link" data-vars-subunit-name="article_body" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subuni