In 2022, I averaged 9,370 steps per day. I know because I counted them. More precisely, my phone counted them. My daily goal? Ten thousand steps, writes Scientific American.

However, the concept of taking 10,000 steps a day to maintain health is not scientific, but a marketing ploy. In the 1960s, a Japanese company invented the first pedometer. Because the Japanese characters for “10,000” look like a person walking, the company called their device the “10,000 Step Measure.”

“It was just a catchphrase,” says Ai-Min Lee, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham Women’s Hospital in Boston. Walking so many steps every day is a challenge for some, but it’s normal for others. “Of course, if you’re taking 10,000 steps a day, that seems like a good goal. But there’s really no scientific basis to support it.”

Pedometers, such as watches and telephones, have only come into widespread use in the last two decades

After starting to collect data, the researchers followed users over time to see how step counting affected mortality, heart rate, or something else. And until recently, this was not the case.

Current physical activity guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services, published in 2018, are based on inaccurate data, namely what people say about their physical activity when asked.

Based on these reports, experts recommended 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity (equivalent to brisk walking) per week or 75 to 150 minutes of more vigorous activity (such as jogging) during the same period. Epidemiological studies show that such activity translates into an extra year and a half of life. But there was not enough evidence to make such a determination about steps.

Evidence of these steps is now beginning to emerge. In 2019, Lee published one of the first studies to specifically examine the real-world effects of reaching a 10,000 step goal. Several other large studies followed. Result? It’s going well, but at some point the benefits diminish. The peak benefit depends on your age.

People under the age of 60 really need to take 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day to get the best benefits in terms of longevity and cardiovascular health. People over 60 show the greatest benefit from 6,000 to 8,000 steps. (Seven thousand to 9,000 steps per day is roughly equivalent to 150 to 300 minutes of brisk walking per week, the goal in the 2018 guidelines.)

The difference lies in the power consumption. “Essentially, we’re linking energy expenditure to health outcomes,” says Kraus. When walking for 60 minutes or running for 30 minutes, the same amount of energy is expended. “During walking, older people expend more energy.” As a result, they need fewer steps to get the same benefits.

Adding a few thousand steps a day can be difficult for someone who isn’t physically able to walk fast, says Amanda Paluch, an epidemiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who conducted two meta-analyses linking step count to the risk of death and heart disease. vascular diseases. She concludes that “the people who are least active benefit the most.”

The total number of steps you take seems to matter more than the speed at which you take them. “For me, the real question is: when two people walk the same distance, but one is faster and the other is slower, do they get different benefits?” says Lee. The answer is no yet.

Newer studies are moving beyond death rates to ask how steps can help prevent diabetes or help control blood pressure and weight. After all, the goal is not just to live longer, but to live healthier. The full results aren’t in yet, so Lee advises: “Adapt your steps based on what you’re trying to achieve and who you are.”