How many steps a day should you do? Here is what the research says

​We’ve all heard about taking 10,000 steps a day, but have you ever wondered where that number came from? Spoiler alert—it wasn’t science. It was marketing.

The Surprising Origin of the 10,000-Step Goal

Back in the 1960s, after the success of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a Japanese company released one of the first pedometers, called the “Manpo-Kei,” which translates to “10,000 steps meter.” The number was chosen partly because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) looks like a person walking.

Over time, the 10,000-step goal stuck—and it's become a popular daily target for anyone tracking their steps with a fitness tracker or smartphone.
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But here’s the important question…

What Does the Science Say About How Many Steps We Actually Need?

In a nutshell, the research is showing that the more steps you do the better, up until a point. It appears that after a certain number of steps, the benefits of doing more steps plateaus. Let’s look at a recent study.

A large meta-analysis published in The Lancet (March 2022) reviewed 15 studies involving nearly 50,000 people across different age groups. Researchers wanted to know how daily step counts impacted all-cause mortality—in other words, how step counts affected overall risk of death.
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Here’s what they found:

• For adults under 60, the health benefits of walking increased with more steps, but plateaued around 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.
• For adults aged 60 and older, the benefits levelled off earlier—at around 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day.
• Interestingly, walking speed didn’t matter. It was the number of steps, not how fast you walked, that made the biggest difference.
• People who averaged more than 5,800 steps per day had a 40–53% lower risk of death than those walking less.

Related: A simple movement to make walking easier

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What Does This Mean for You?

If you're walking regularly - great, keep going! If not, this research should be an encouraging reminder that every step counts, especially if you’re starting from a low activity level. Let’s look at some examples.

Another meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology (2023), involving 227,000 people, showed that:

• Walking just an extra 500 steps a day could reduce your risk of cardiovascular mortality by 7%.
• Walking an extra 1000 steps a day could reduce your risk of all-cause mortality by 15%.

So, a small increase in steps can have a big impact on health.

In their book “Built to Move” Kelly Sarrett and Juliet Starrett shared a study that showed that increasing your step count from 4000 steps to 8000 steps a day could decrease your risk of all cause mortality by 51%. Amazing hey!

As Amanda Paluch, the lead epidemiologist of the Lancet study above, put it:
"The major takeaway is there's a lot of evidence suggesting that moving even a little more is beneficial, particularly for those who are doing very little activity."

Related: 7 tips for better walks

Final Thoughts

So instead of focusing only on the 10,000-step goal, here’s a more realistic guide based on the research:

• If you're under 60: Aim for 8,000–10,000 steps per day
• If you're over 60: Aim for 6,000–8,000 steps per day

And if you’re walking for other goals—like weight loss, stress relief, or mental clarity—going beyond those numbers could offer additional benefits.

It is also important to remember that consistency is key with this. Choose a goal that you can achieve and then do it consistently. That is where the magic will happen. 

​​Whether you're chasing 6,000, 10,000, or just trying to move a little more each day, walking remains one of the best forms of exercise for your body and your brain. And now we know—it’s backed by science, not just step counters.
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Let me know in the comments—do you have a daily step goal? Or are you just trying to walk more than you did yesterday?

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