Fab or Fad: Getting 10,000 Steps

Are 10,000 steps the next step toward your health goals?

By Erica Schwartz

Image by Sarah Cruz

We’ve all heard the advice: get 10,000 steps a day for optimal health. Regardless of our height, weight, age, body fat percentage, or anything else, we are told that 10,000 steps is the magic number. But like many things in the world of health and wellness — or really, in life — 10,000 is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

I first questioned the 10,000 rule after listening to an episode of my all-time favorite podcast, Maintenance Phase. Once I learned the facts, it seemed obvious. Every single person benefiting from the same amount of easily measured steps? It just sounds too good to be true.

According to Scientific American, the 10,000-step rule originated in the 1960s when a Japanese company was building early versions of step-counting devices. The device was named the 10,000-step meter. And no, the 10,000 step count wasn’t chosen after months of research–it was chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 looks like a person walking.

So, how many steps do we really need? Well,  research varies. A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that older adult women who averaged around 4,400 steps a day had lower mortality rates than women who averaged 2,700 steps per day. However, the positive impacts of taking more steps seemed to plateau after 7,500 steps per day.

This suggests that 10,000 might be overkill for many people, but there are no marked differences in mortality for people who averaged over 7,500 steps. To put it plainly, taking 10,000 steps a day won’t kill you, but it probably isn’t necessary. 

Andrew R. Jagim, Ph.D., director of sports medicine research at Mayo Clinic, recommends a more personalized approach. Rather than focusing on one generic goal, anyone wanting to improve their health should count their current average steps and work towards adding 1,000 steps to that number per day every two weeks.

“Any activity, no matter how minimal, is better than no activity, and more activity is better than less,” Dr. Jagim says.

I think it’s safe to say that 10,000 steps is just a fad — but not a terrible one. As long as you aren’t overworking your body or stressing yourself over the number, there’s no shame in getting your steps up.