🦶How Many Steps Do You Actually Need?
Walking is underrated, 🚶♀️✨ underused, and wildly effective. How do you maximize the benefits? And is 10,000 steps a day actually based on science?
Do We Really Need 10,000 steps a day?
We’ve all heard it before: you should walk 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy. But where did this number actually come from? You might be surprised to learn that it wasn’t born out of science.
Last week, my post on exercise sparked a lot of interest in walking: How long should I walk for? Should I wear a weighted vest? Does it matter where I walk?
I’m a big fan of walking - it’s SO simple yet can be so effective and bring a ton of benefits. Let’s dive into the science of walking.
Where did the “10,000 steps a day” notion come from?
In 1964, a Japanese company launched a pedometer called the “Manpo-kei,” which literally translates to “10,000 steps meter.” The round number had a nice ring to it, and it stuck.
But while this target was initially arbitrary and NOT based on science, modern science is catching up—and the data is surprisingly supportive of this 10,000 figure (though nuanced).
What Does the Research Say?
The average American takes only 5,100 steps per day—considerably fewer than populations in countries like Japan, Australia, and Switzerland.1 That baseline matters, because even modest increases in daily steps show real health benefits.
A JAMA study showed that even at 7,000 steps a day, there was a 50-70% reduction in mortality.2
Does more bring more benefits? And at what point does the benefit taper off?
A 2023 systematic review including 226,889 participants over an average of 7 years provided some of the most compelling evidence to date3:
Each 1,000-step increase in daily walking was associated with a 15% reduction in all-cause mortality (aka death from any cause).
Every additional 500 steps was associated with a 7% reduction in cardiovascular-related death.
For people over 60, the sweet spot appeared to be 6,000 to 10,000 steps, associated with a 42% reduction in mortality risk.
For those under 60, higher thresholds (7,000 to 13,000 steps) showed even stronger effects, with a 49% reduction in all-cause mortality (so, if you are not quite 60, try pushing those steps up to 13,000!).
Interestingly, benefits were seen across all sexes and climates.
Perhaps most importantly, walking as few as 4,000 steps per day still conferred measurable longevity benefits - so don’t be a couch potato.
While the study was observational, the sheer size and consistency across demographics make it a powerful piece of evidence.
👉 P.S. Want to know what less toxic sportswear I use? Click here! 🤸♀️
Not All Steps Are Created Equal: Cadence Matters
So it’s not just about how many steps you take, but how you take them. Spoiler alert - you want to get a little breathless.
A UK study looking at 78,000 participants found4: