HEALTH
If you’re not walking 10,000 steps a day, are you doing enough to stay healthy? We take a look at the theory behind the number
►WE’RE OFTEN TOLD THAT 10,000 STEPS IS THE gold standard for keeping healthy, but where did this number come from—and is it accurate?
There’s no doubt that boosting your daily exercise levels by walking more brings benefits for your body and mind, experts say.
“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.”
But do we need to hit a certain number of steps daily to reap these health rewards?
Where the Target Came From
“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.”
Is It Enough...or Too Much?
Exercise of any type can 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.
Some people even swear by the benefits of walking 20,000 steps a day. While Bottoms doesn’t dismiss aiming for this figure, research suggests that you don’t even need to hit 10,000 to achieve optimal results for heart health—and many people would be more likely to commit to a lower target, she says.
“I would not discourage 20K steps a day,” Bottoms said. “But for a reasonable aim for people, it n
