A new meta review published in the Lancet officially confirmed that we’ve been calculating our step count number all wrong.
The new findings suggest that you can actually reap the major health benefits well before you hit 10,000 steps.
Here’s what experts say about the 10k number and how this applies to your life.
The idea that you need to log 10,000 steps a day for good health has been health gospel for ages. But as Women’s Health previously reported this year, the 10,000-a-day steps goal (which roughly equates to five miles) isn’t really based in science. In fact, it’s more marketing than anything. But it’s a nice, round number, and it’s built into most fitness trackers.
Now, a new scientific analysis in The Lancet Public Health officially confirms that this lofty steps count goal isn’t actually necessary—and the potential health benefits start to level off well before you reach that point.
If you’ve been happily clocking 10,000 steps a day and feel like it’s working for you, there’s no reason to stop. But if that number is intimidating and feels impossible to reach with everything else you’ve got going on in your life, this study probably has some findings you can use. Here’s what the scientific review discovered, plus where experts and trainers recommend you try to land with your new step count goal.
Meet the experts: Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab; Dani Singer, CPT, founder of Fit2Go Personal Training
What did the new meta review find?
For the review, researchers analyzed data from 88 different studies, looking at how step counts were linked with the risk of developing a slew of health conditions. Overall, the researchers discovered that the risk of developing serious health conditions like cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and depression was lower in people who logged 7,000 steps a day compared to those who only did 2,000 daily steps.
But they also discovered that the health perks beyond 7,000 steps were actually pretty minimal.
“Although 10,000 steps per day, an unofficial target for decades without a clear evidence base, was associated with substantially lower risks for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease incidence, cancer mortality, dementia, and depressive symptoms than 7,000 steps per day, the incremental improvement beyond 7,000 steps per day was small, and there was no statistical difference between 7,000 steps per day and a higher step count for all the other outcomes,” the investigators wrote. “Therefore, 7,000 steps per day might be a more realistic and achievable recommendation for some, but 10,000 steps per day can still be a viable target for those who are more active.”
Where did the 10,000 number come from?
The famous steps goal number has a long history behind it (you can do a deep dive here). But here’s a quick recap: This number was formulated by a Tokyo doctor named Iwao Ohya who created a fitness tracker called Manpo-Kei (in Japanese, that means “10,000 step meter) with engineer Jiro Kato.
It’s been suggested that 10,000 steps was chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 looks like a man running or walking, but it’s not really clear if that’s truly one of the reasons behind the number. (Both inventors have since died.)
The number 10,000 eventually got picked up by researchers and fitness tracker developers, and its popularity spread. These days, almost everyone knows the number. Still, “no clinical data backed it then, and none was added later,” says Dani Singer, CPT, founder of Fit2Go Personal Training.
Why is it not accurate?
While hitting 10,000 steps isn’t bad for you (and means you’re moving a lot throughout the day) the exact number is pretty much made up. “It was a marketing campaign,” says Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab. “There wasn’t a scientific basis for it.”
Matheny stresses that the 10,000 steps a day goal isn’t necessarily inaccurate from a health POV—but many people can get serious health perks between 5,000 to 7,000 steps a day. “The data show health gains level off well before 10,000,” Singer says. “Mortality and cardiovascular risk improvements start at just 2,000. It’s important to understand this so that you avoid an all-or-nothing mindset—especially one that isn’t based on any actual data.”
If that’s the number you like, and you hit it consistently, stick with it! But just remember: “10,000 steps per day is not the magic number,” per Matheny.
So, how many steps should I take per day?
Based on the scientific review’s findings, aiming for 5,000 to 7,000 steps a day is a good goal to reach for. That’s roughly two to 3.5 miles per day, depending on your stride. “There’s nothing wrong with 10,000 steps, but it isn’t based in science,” Matheny says.
If you want to still aim for 10,000 steps, Matheny says you should go for it. “If you don’t get there, maybe you still get to 7,000,” he points out. But any amount of walking is helpful. “A thousand steps is way better than zero,” Matheny says.
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