Steps: The newest metric that matters on WHOOP

Research shows that hitting the right amount of daily steps lowers your risk of chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, and more. Steps as a form of movement helps you live longer, and better. Now you can start tracking yours with WHOOP.

WHOOP measures the metrics that are scientifically proven to make the most significant impact on your mental and physical health. WHOOP has previously not included step counting, given steps are a poor metric to gauge overall health and cardiovascular fitness. While step counting in isolation is not a good proxy for cardiovascular fitness, a growing and more recent body of scientific research has shown that roughly 8,000 steps per day can reduce the risk of many diseases and conditions. WHOOP has expanded its capabilities to include step tracking, ensuring you have access to the most up-to-date, science-backed data and ways to optimize your health.

In a recent study, research showed that there is a strong relationship between daily step count and a decrease in all-cause and cardiovascular related mortality. The study showed that a 1000-step increment correlated with a significant reduction of all-cause mortality of 15%, and similarly, a 500-step increment correlated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality of 7%. 

Another study looked at step counts over time and an individual's risk of chronic disease and found that higher daily step counts were associated with reduced risk of several common chronic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, GERD, MDD, obesity, and sleep apnea. Steps as a form of movement helps you live longer, and better – and that’s why we track them. 

How does it work?

WHOOP uses an accelerometer to calculate steps and has been validated for on wrist use. Your body’s natural motion generates specific patterns of motion, which a step detection algorithm identifies from your raw data. WHOOP will automatically quantify how many steps you take, and show them as daily, weekly, monthly, and 6 month step count trends. You can also set your own personal step goal in Weekly Plan. Plus, you’ll see when you hit milestones – like the steps equivalent to running a marathon based on your estimated stride length. Since WHOOP is worn 24/7, you may see higher step counts than you do on other devices.

Where can I see my steps?

To find your steps, scroll down on your home screen, and they will appear under My Dashboard. To set a daily step goal in Weekly Plan, visit the Plan tab, add a step goal in any plan, and follow the prompts. To see how many steps you took for a few select activities, like walking, tap into that saved activity and the total steps appear at the top of the screen. Daily movement looks different for everyone, and if you don’t want to see your steps on your home screen, you can remove them by tapping “Customize” under My Dashboard on the home screen and following the prompts.   

Do Steps count toward Strain? 

Steps are a measure of frequency of movement, while Strain is a measure of cardiovascular or muscular exertion. If you're taking a brisk walk and your heart rate is elevated for a portion of time, you are more likely to be accumulating strain. If you're taking steps around the office, you are likely just contributing to your total number of steps. Therefore, some of your steps will accumulate when you're accumulating strain, but some steps will not. It’s highly individualized and will depend on your metrics and daily movement.

How many steps should I take a day? 

Our review of scientific literature suggests that anywhere between taking 7-10K steps is associated with positive health outcomes through a lower risk of diseases like heart disease and obesity.

At WHOOP, we’re always evolving based on the latest in human performance science and research. For current members, there’s no need to get new hardware to access step tracking – updating your app gets you access to steps.