Brits should stop aiming for 10,000 daily steps and take a quick 10 minute walk instead, experts say

People should ditch fitness trackers and do a ten-minute brisk walk a day instead, say experts.

Doing 10,000 steps — as urged by the trendy gadgets — puts some off exercise because it takes around one hour and 40 minutes.

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A quick walk is easier to achieve and can slash the possibility of an early death in couch potatoes by 15 per cent, says Public Health England.

It can cut heart problems and dementia risk by a third, the likelihood of some cancers by a fifth and the chance of Type 2 diabetes by 40 per cent.

Yet 6.3 million people aged between 40 and 60 fail to manage a brisk ten-minute walk even once a month. One quarter of adults are classed as inactive.

Professor Sir Muir Gray, clinical adviser to PHE, said: “People should ditch the fitness trackers and aim to break into a sweat.

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“If you’re unfit, don’t get put off by the need to do 10,000 steps. The best way to boost your health is to get in a ten-minute brisk walk a day. It’s important to get the heart pumping.” He said brisk daily walks would benefit inactive adults most.

Dr Jenny Harries, deputy medical director at PHE, said: “Walking to the shops instead of driving  can add many healthy years to your life.”

PHE has created a free to help people build brisk walking into their day.

The NHS says adults should get 150 minutes’ exercise a week.