The 10k Step Myth — Does Step Count Really Matter?
If you ask almost anyone about tracking steps, they’ll tell you that you should be getting 10,000 steps daily, which is close to 5 miles.
For what seems like forever, 10,000 steps has been the gold standard of walking and is touted by most fitness tracker brands from Apple Watch to FitBit and everything in between.
While this is a nice round number to aim for, is there any scientific backing to this claim? The truth is, 10,000 steps is a clever marketing tool and is not necessarily reflective of how many steps lead to increased longevity or even have any significant health benefits.
So, how many steps do you really need to get per day? Read on to find out!
Where Did the 10k Step Goal Originate?
The origins of the 10k step goal might surprise you! Back in the 1960s, a Japanese company invented one of the first pedometers.
It turns out that the Japanese character for 10,000 looks a lot like a person walking : 万. Because of this, the company decided to call their product the “Manpo-kei” which translates to “10,000 steps meter.”
It helps that 10,000 is a satisfying number and a round goal to reach for.
Since then, people never really questioned the idea of aiming for 10,000 steps per day, and it became ingrained across cultures as the standard for walking goals.
Science has long wondered how many steps really make a meaningful difference in your health and the truth is, it’s sort of hard to accurately measure.
Modern research has given us a better idea of what a good step goal is, and like most things in life, it depends on a few different factors.
How Many Steps Make a Difference?
A study published in 2021 detailed over 2000 adults, mostly women between 62-101 years of age, who participated for over 10 years in tracking their daily step counts.
The research found that people who took at least 7,000 steps a day were at lower risk for premature death—almost 3,000 less than popular claims suggest. In fact, after about 7,500 steps, the accumulated benefits start to taper off.
The amount of walking required to see significant health improvements also depends on other factors such as age. For example, a 2019 study found that women over 70 who reached 4,400 steps per day reduced their risk of premature death by 40% compared to more sedentary counterparts.
The real key here is energy expenditure. Older people expend more energy in fewer steps than younger people do, so they get the same benefits as a younger person in fewer steps.
Considering this, 8,000-10,000 steps is probably a good goal for those under 60, but it doesn’t take in other factors relating to daily activity. For example, walking for an hour or running twice as fast for 30 minutes uses about the same amount of energy.
This is why most health experts measure activity in time instead of by step. The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week. This equates to about 30 minutes per day five days per week of moderate exercise.
If you are someone who exercises regularly, step goals might not be as impactful as they are for someone who is more sedentary.
How Many Steps Should You Aim For?
For some people, having a set goal like walking 10,000 steps per day is motivating. However, some might find the number daunting or become overly fixated on hitting that number.
Whether you become overwhelmed to the point of giving up, or if you fall into obsessive fixation, striving for this goal might not be beneficial for your health overall, and can even be harmful.
Instead, you should focus on incorporating more movement into your routine that you feel good about and excited to do.
Experts say that increasing your step counts by even just a couple thousand most days is achievable and will still improve your health significantly.
To put it in context, most people take an average of about 5,000 daily steps just going about their daily activities.
Increasing this number by about 2,000-3,000, equivalent to about a half hour of exercise, would get most individuals to the sweet spot where people see the most health benefits.
And if walking just isn’t your thing, find another way to move that does get you excited! Swimming, dancing, rock climbing, rowing, and strength training are all great ways to get your body moving and improve your health.
Put It All Together
Let’s review what we learned.
The idea that you need to get 10,000 steps per day actually originated from a clever marketing ploy for 1960’s Japanese pedometers.
The truth is that health benefits begin to taper off after about 8,000 steps, less for people over 60. In reality, how many steps you take is less important than how long you spend exercising each week.
Health experts recommend about 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week, or about 30 minutes per day, five days per week.
And if walking is just not your thing, don’t feel pressured to hit a crazy high daily step goal. Find a way of moving that you are excited about doing everyday and see the benefits of exercise!
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