Does Taking 10,000 Steps a Day Really Improve Your Health?

The goal of reaching 10,000 steps per day has inspired countless movement challenges and remains the default setting on many fitness trackers. Maybe hitting that step goal, which is equivalent to about 5 miles, is part of your own wellness routine.

But does getting 10,000 steps per day really make a difference in our overall health? Or is it just another fitness trend? Here, learn what the latest research says about the 10,000 steps claims for health, plus get expert intel.

The Claim About 10,000 Steps a Day

The origin of the 10,000 steps a day standard is a little murky. Some researchers trace the number and its associated claim back to 1965, when a Japanese company made a pedometer named Manpo-kei, which translates to “10,000 steps meter.” As Shawn Arent, PhD, CSCS, professor and chair of the department of exercise science and director of the sport and science lab at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, explains, the rationale behind 10,000 steps was more about marketing than science.

Clearly, that marketing was wildly successful, as the recommendation to take 10,000 steps daily has become an ingrained component of wellness for many people. But is there more to it than just marketing? Does taking 10,000 steps, specifically, offer health benefits? It may — but that’s not the whole story, according to research and experts.

The Scientific Research on the Benefits of Taking 10,000 Steps a Day

The paper included 57 studies in a systematic review and 31 studies in meta-analyses. It concluded that while striving for 10,000 daily steps is unlikely to hurt a person’s long-term health, hitting 7,000 steps — an amount more likely to be achievable for many — was associated with more meaningful clinical improvements.

But regardless of your specific step-count goal, it’s important to understand the limitations of a step target for preserving and boosting health.

For starters, there’s simply more to overall health than steps. Lifestyle factors like sleep, stress management, and diet all play a role. Yet these habits and activities may not be reflected in your daily step count.

“Let’s face it: If your diet is atrocious, you have poor stress management, or you’re not sleeping, well, those 10,000 steps won’t be the cure-all you need,” Dr. Arent says.

In addition, there are meaningful types of exercises that, while beneficial, won’t add much to your daily step counts, such as yoga, strength training, rowing, and cycling. This means your step total probably doesn’t provide an accurate picture of your daily movement.

Will Taking 10,000 Steps a Day Boost Your Health?

“There’s nothing magical about 10,000 steps,” Arent says. It can be a great target to aim for, but it’s not the be-all and end-all of health and fitness.

“I encourage people to not focus on one number or one part of their health,” says Larry Nolan, DO, a sports medicine physician and associate professor at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. Instead of fixating on a single number, aim to improve different factors that affect your health, such as sleep, diet, stress management, and lack of sufficient exercise.

Still, counting steps may help you stay on top of your physical activity and reduce your sitting time. “There are a lot of people who are actually shocked at how little they move in a day, so if nothing else, counting steps can be a great wake-up call,” Arent says.

You don’t have to aim for 10,000 steps, but as you get accustomed to counting steps, you may be able to identify times during the day when you can squeeze in extra movement. “Find a target that works for you and pursue it,” Dr. Nolan says.

Most importantly, enjoy the process. Find activities you like and remember to appreciate the things your body is capable of doing. “Movement is something that we’re fortunate enough to be able to do, and the more you do it, the longer you’ll be able to maintain that ability,” Arent says.

The Takeaway

• The popular goal of hitting 10,000 steps per day isn’t rooted in scientific research; it likely originated from a marketing campaign from the 1960s for a pedometer.
• Research concludes that increasing step counts may offer health benefits, including decreased risk of mortality, but those improvements may taper around 7,000 or 7,500 steps.
• Experts specify that step count can’t be the only marker of health that people track. Other aspects of fitness are important, as are lifestyle factors like stress, nutrition, and stress-management.