Are you a 10,000 steps-a-day or a 30-minute 5K kind of person? When you check your Apple Watch, are you checking your daily steps or your Move goal? There are several ways of tracking movement, and often it’s tricky to know which method should mean more to us. Time spent exercising and step count are both easy-to-track ways of keeping on top of our cardio goals, but are there any benefits to prioritising one over the other?

Well, research suggests that both are beneficial. A 2024 study, for instance, found that every extra step you take above 2,200 steps a day – up to around 10,000 – reduces the risks of heart disease and early death, regardless of how much time you spend sitting. Then again, a 2022 study found benefits in counting time; specifically, it found that 300 minutes of moderate exercise a week led to the best health outcomes. However, few studies have compared the efficacy of the methods of measurement – until now. In a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers examined how measuring exercise in either steps or time may potentially result in different health outcomes. 

The study was conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who began by examining the data of over 14,000 healthy women over the age of 62 across nine years.

Overall, the study seemed to confirm what we already know – the more exercise you do, the lower your chances of cardiovascular disease. The most active quarter of women (measured either in steps or in time) reduced their risk by 30-40% compared with the least active quarter.

As lead author Rikuta Hamaya explained in a Harvard report of the study, they found that neither step-based or time-based counting was objectively superior – both came with advantages and disadvantages.

On the one hand, she noted that step count can be a fallible method of counting as people of different fitness levels may walk or run a different number of steps in the same time period. On the other hand, keeping track of steps can help you keep track of movement done outside of traditional exercise scenarios, such as moving around the house or walking to the shops – which, of course, still counts.

“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,” said Hamaya. “However, for others, it may consist of bike rides or swimming, where monitoring the duration of exercise is simpler.”

Hamaya stressed that their research demonstrates why governments should offer guidelines in both metrics, making it easier for people to understand and reach their unique goals. “Movement looks different for everyone, and nearly all forms of movement are beneficial to our health,” she said, adding, “Our findings further establish the importance of adding step-based targets in order to accommodate flexibility of goals that work for individuals with differing preferences, abilities and lifestyles.”  

The verdict? Counting in both steps and in time are both beneficial – and both metrics have their own unique uses – it all depends on fitness regime, fitness level and fitness type. Ultimately, the more movement you manage to work into your day the better – whether it be in steps taken or time spent.

Images: Getty