The 10,000-Steps Myth: Where the Number Came From and How Many Steps You Really Need

Ten thousand steps a day is the most famous fitness goal there is. It is on watches, apps and cereal boxes. It is also not a scientific finding. Here is where it came from and what the research suggests instead.

It started as a name

In the mid-1960s, a Japanese company released a step counter called the Manpo-kei, which translates roughly to “10,000-step meter.” There were no studies behind the number, according to epidemiologist I-Min Lee of Harvard, who has studied walking for years. It was a round figure that sounded good and was easy to remember. The Japanese character for 10,000 also looks a bit like a person walking.

Newer research on step counts

Researchers have now tracked people’s steps with devices and followed them for years. Two findings stand out:

• A 2019 study of older women. In a JAMA Internal Medicine study of 16,741 women, average age 72, those who averaged about 4,400 steps a day had a lower risk of dying during follow-up than those averaging about 2,700. The benefit increased until about 7,500 steps, then leveled off.
• A 2022 analysis of 15 studies. A meta-analysis in The Lancet Public Health found that more steps were linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause, up to a point. For adults 60 and older, the benefit leveled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day. For adults under 60, it leveled off at about 8,000 to 10,000.

So 10,000 is not wrong. It is just not a threshold where health suddenly appears, and fewer steps already help.

Limits of these studies

• They are observational. People who walk more tend to be healthier in other ways, and healthier people walk more, so steps alone may not be the cause.
• Steps are not the same as weight loss. They add to the calories you use, but eating habits usually matter more. Our plateaus article explains why the scale can stall even when you walk more.
• Step counters vary. Two devices can disagree by hundreds or thousands of steps, and pace and intensity matter as well.

A more useful way to set a step goal

1. Find your normal. Look at your average for a typical week.
2. Add a little. Aim for about 1,000 more steps a day than your baseline, then hold it for a couple of weeks.
3. Add some pace. A brisk walk counts for more than a stroll. The official U.S. activity guidelines still call for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, plus muscle-strengthening on two days.
4. Do not chase a number at the cost of rest. Pain, illness and recovery days are reasons to take it easier.

Our guide to how much walking is enough goes deeper on the research, and our zone 2 explainer covers pace.

In short

The 10,000 figure began as marketing. The research points to a lower and more flexible target, and even a modest increase helps. If you have a medical condition, ask your clinician what level of activity is right for you.

Sources

• Lee I-M, et al. Association of step volume and intensity with all-cause mortality in older women. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2019.
• Paluch AE, et al. Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. The Lancet Public Health, 2022.
• Harvard Gazette, “For older women, just 7,500 steps a day lowers mortality” (2019), and reporting that quotes I-Min Lee on the origin of the 10,000-step goal.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adult activity guidelines.