How many steps should you really take in a day?
We're often told that 10,000 steps is the gold standard for keeping healthy. But where does this number actually come from, and is it accurate?
"Increasing physical activity such as your step count through walking contributes to improved cardiovascular fitness, weight management, improved mood, better sleep and enhanced cognitive function," Lindsay Bottoms, a reader in exercise and health physiology at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K., told Newsweek. "Walking can reduce the risk of developing chronic illnesses such as dementia, and certain cancers. In some cases, it helps improve health conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
Exercise of any type can also support our immune system and boost our mental health. But the key benefits of walking are its simplicity, accessibility and versatility, making it a practical and beneficial exercise for any age.
Notably, a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology last year showed that walking at least 3,967 steps a day reduces the risk of dying from any cause, while walking 2,337 steps a day reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Another 2019 study published in the journal JAMA Neurology found a total of around 8,900 steps per day appeared to slow rates of cognitive decline and brain volume loss in people who were at high risk.
But do we really need to be walking 10,000 steps a day to see these benefits?
"The 10,000 steps a day target seems to have come about from a trade name pedometer sold in 1965 by Yamasa Clock in Japan," Bottoms said. "The device was called "Manpo-kei," which translates to '10,000 steps meter.' This was a marketing tool for the device and has seemed to have stuck across the world as the daily step target."
In fact, some people swear by the benefits of walking 20,000 steps a day! But is this really necessary? "It is good for people to be breaking up sitting time, being active, etc., so I would not discourage 20K steps a day," Bottoms said. "But for a reasonable aim for people, it needs to be a lot less; otherwise, it will be demoralizing, as it won't be achievable.
"Research has shown on more than one occasion that the risk of all cause mortality and incident of cardiovascular disease are not further improved after about 7,500-8,500 steps [and] there has been research which has shown around 4,400 steps can cause a reduction in morality rate in women over a given period of time."
With this in mind, how many steps should you be doing to support your health? "I would aim to do as many as you can and break up the sitting time," Bottoms said. "I would aim to do at least 7,000 steps a day and if you aren't reaching this, I would increase your daily steps by about 1,000."
"I don't focus on the number of steps I walk in a day, rather than ensuring I break up my sitting time. In recent years, research has shown that prolonged sitting times can increase our risk of various health issues. Therefore, I focus more on breaking this sitting time during my working day by taking my dogs for several small walks between meetings.
"I sometimes take work calls walking; obviously, this depends on what you do and the type of meeting you are having. I walk the dogs first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I try and do the walk in the evening before I sit down, as I know as soon as I sit, I will struggle to get back up! If you can, park your car slightly further away from the office or from the shop so you get some more steps in."
It isn't all about steps either. "It is about being active," Bottoms said. "The World Health Organization recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week (or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise) and at least 2 muscle strengthening sessions."
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Update 2/3/2024 at 12:01 p.m. ET: Additional information about previous scientific studies was added.
