Debunking 10,000 Steps: Exploring the Myth of This Elusive Target

Many fitness tracker enthusiasts welcome the “buzz” the device emits when they hit 10,000 steps, a daily exercise goal that has become the benchmark for maintaining long-term good health.

However, recent reporting from The New York Times suggests that 10,000 steps (about 5 miles) may be an arbitrary daily goal and that science and research support the idea that the same benefits may come from taking a few thousand less steps each day. “The goal of taking 10,000 steps, which many of us believe is rooted in science, in fact rests on coincident and sticky history rather than research,” the article states.

The truth is that few of us actually reach 10,000 steps each day. Recent estimates from the United States, Canada, and other Western countries show that most people take fewer than 5,000 steps each day. A study from Belgium tracked 660 adults’ pedometer readings for a year and found that only about 8 percent completed their daily step goal. When researchers checked in with study participants four years later, they found that almost no one had continued to take as many steps as they did during the study.

As a result, scientists argue that just walking more every day could be a much more realistic — and equally beneficial — goal.

The Root of 10,000 Steps

Dr. I-Min Lee, an epidemiology professor at Harvard University who studies the relationship between step count and health, has said that the daily 10,000-step goal rose to prominence in Japan in the 1960s.

In 1965, A Japanese company began selling a step-measuring device it called Manpo-kei, which translates to “10,000 steps meter.” Lee has said that the name was a “marketing tool,” and the 10,000 daily step goal became popular in Japan as a result. The device — and its memorable name — became even more popular when it was mass produced after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics sparked an interest in fitness. From there, 10,000 steps became a part of the global fitness culture, and now it is even the default setting in many modern fitness tracers.

Research Findings

Lee, whose research interest has long focused on how physical exercise relates to the health of women who are older, set out to discover whether 10,000 steps a day was based in science. In a study she conducted in the early 2010s, she looked at data from a group of more than 16,000 women whose average age was 72 to gather information about whether there was a correlation between more steps and fewer deaths. Participants wore tracking devices for four years.

While the study focused on the relationship between steps and mortality rather than more nuanced issues such as quality of life and cognitive function, its findings are promising for people hoping that exercise will help them live longer. The study found that women who were sedentary took an average of 2,700 steps each day, and the mortality rate for women who averaged 4,400 steps a day decreased by 41 percent.

The mortality rate continued to drop as women took more steps per day, plateauing at around 7,500 steps a day. Overall, the study found that the most active group experienced about nine fewer deaths each year than the least active group.

Another study conducted in 2020 involved almost 5,000 women and men who were middle-aged and concluded that 10,000 steps a day aren’t needed to extend one’s lifespan. The study found that people who walked 8,000 steps each day were half as likely to die early from heart disease than people who took only 4,000 steps per day. Researchers found no harm in people taking more than 8,000 steps a day, but the extra strides did not provide added protection against an early death.

How Far Should We Walk?

Research findings suggest that people can relax their daily step count goals — and reap the same benefits. Longtime US government guidelines, which recommend exercising for 30 minutes most days, don’t necessarily provide the best advice. A better measure could be aiming for 2,000 or 3,000 steps above the baseline 5,000 steps for a total of between 7,000 and 8,000 steps. According to Lee, this is the “sweet spot” of steps.

Lee found that if people who are currently sedentary add 2,000 steps daily to bring their average to around 4,400 steps, they can enjoy some of the benefits of a more active lifestyle. She also concluded that all steps count, whether you are walking, running, or playing tennis, and steps don’t all have to be taken at one time.

People can improve their daily step count with simple changes throughout the day, such as using stairs rather than an elevator, parking farther away from stores, and getting off at an earlier bus stop. “Those little things collectively add up,” Lee told a media outlet. “Don’t be intimidated or dissuaded by the 10,000 number.”