Health Debunked: Do You Need to Take 10,000 Steps a Day?
You’ve probably heard that you should take at least 10,000 steps per day. If you have an Apple Watch or a Fitbit, it’s possible you’ve even chased that daily step count. And, if so, you’ve likely felt a sense of accomplishment — or frustration — when you closed those rings or came up short.
But what’s the reason for this very specific goal? Is it based on science? Or is it just an arbitrary number that someone came up with and that stuck?
Is walking good for you?
Before we look at the daily step goal, let’s talk about walking as a form of exercise.
Walking might not get your heart pumping as much as high-intensity exercises. But it comes with many health benefits. Even very small increases in walking (as few as 4 blocks per day) can boost your health, especially if you’re not getting much exercise daily.
“Walking is a great way to knock your cardio out while burning ample calories and fat,” said Dr. Matt Tanneberg, a strength and conditioning specialist in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Walking burns off calories, just as running does, and is significantly easier on your joints and body.”
In addition to the sustained calorie burn you’ll get, walking is also excellent for your physical health. Dr. Marisa Mickey, assistant professor of exercise science at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, points to the numerous benefits of walking. It helps decrease your risk of a range of conditions, she said, including:
Cardiovascular disease
Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Obesity
Walking also boosts your cognitive function, cardiovascular fitness, and muscular fitness, she said.
Claim: You need 10,000 steps a day to improve your health
But do you need to take 10,000 steps to reap the benefits of walking? And where did the advice to take 10,000 steps per day come from?
“The goal of 10,000 steps per day was initially created by a marketing campaign rather than through scientific evidence,” said Dr. Mickey.
What does the science say?
While there are certainly benefits to walking more, 10,000 steps per day isn’t a magic number. But it might be a reasonable goal. The evidence to date is only observational, and it’s a bit conflicting.
The JAMA cohort study observed more than 16,000 women over a 4-year period. The researchers found that for older women, 4,400 steps per day significantly lowered mortality rates compared to taking just 2,700 steps per day.
The health benefits continued to increase with higher step numbers. But, eventually, the benefits leveled out at 7,500 daily steps. The intensity of the steps, meaning how fast the women walked, wasn’t significant. In other words, even casual walking was beneficial.
In another large study, researchers compared the risk of mortality among three groups:
Those who took fewer than 7,000 steps per day
Those who took between 7,000 and 9,999 steps per day
Those who took 10,000 or more steps per day
They found that those who took more than 7,000 steps per day had better health outcomes than the group who took fewer than 7,000 steps per day. However, there was no significant difference between 7,000 and 10,000 or more steps.
Most recently, a large study confirmed the link between walking and low mortality risk. The researchers compared the number of steps across different groups based on how active or sedentary they were each day. They concluded that the optimal number of steps per day was between 9,000 and 10,500 — but as few as 4,000 steps could be beneficial.
The study also showed a low risk of death and cardiovascular disease in all groups regardless of activity level.
Keep in mind: This is what’s known as an observational study. In other words, it shows that step count is linked to a lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease. It doesn’t establish cause and effect.
What do the experts say?
The experts are on the same page as the science: Your health isn’t just about how many steps you do — or don’t — take per day.
“The goal of fitness and exercise is to better yourself physically and to mentally decompress,” said Dr. Tanneberg. “If you’re able to hit 10,000 steps per day, that’s great. However, don't stress about not always hitting that number.”
Dr. Mickey agrees: There’s no specific daily step number you should be aiming for, and any activity is better than no activity. If someone isn’t active, then “as few as 4,000 steps per day” can have positive effects, she said.
Also, Dr. Mickey said, some people aren’t able to take 10,000 steps per day, so it isn’t a reasonable goal for all people.
In short, any activity is good activity, so try not to get caught up in specific numbers. Instead, make it a goal to move your body daily — whether that means walking or engaging in other types of exercise.
What other low-impact exercises can you try?
If you’d rather switch up your cardio, but prefer to stick to low-impact exercises, Dr. Tanneberg recommends the elliptical machine, biking, or swimming. All three are low-impact, meaning less pressure on your joints. Plus, they’re great ways to get your cardio, he said.
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