Is it true that you need to take 10,000 steps a day to be healthy?

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, October 20, 2026

The recommendation to walk 10,000 steps daily originated from a 1960s marketing campaign rather than scientific research, according to a University of East London exercise expert. Research shows greatest health benefits come from increasing low step counts, while gains diminish at higher levels, suggesting focus should be on overall activity and intensity rather than a fixed step goal.

The widely held recommendation to walk 10,000 steps a day as a benchmark for health originates not from scientific research but from a 1960s marketing campaign promoting a pedometer, according to Jack McNamara, senior lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of East London. The figure was chosen for its simplicity and memorability rather than its basis in empirical evidence.

Subsequent research has demonstrated that walking does offer various health benefits, including improvements in cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health, as well as reductions in the risk of certain cancers. Additionally, walking helps to interrupt prolonged periods of sedentary behavior, which is recognized as detrimental to overall health. However, systematic reviews and large-scale studies suggest that the benefits gained from additional steps tend to diminish as step counts increase.

McNamara notes that the most significant health improvements occur when individuals increase their daily steps from very low levels—for example, moving from 2,000 steps to 4,000 steps per day. In contrast, the incremental benefits of increasing steps from 8,000 to 10,000 or from 10,000 to 12,000 are considerably smaller. While higher step counts still confer some advantages, they may not be as substantial as commonly perceived.

The expert also cautions against an overly rigid focus on achieving a specific step goal, especially if individuals feel pressured or discouraged when they do not meet the target. For those who enjoy walking, McNamara encourages continuing to walk for as long as desired without undue concern about step counts. For individuals already accumulating a substantial number of daily steps, he suggests incorporating higher-intensity activities—such as running, swimming at a brisk pace, uphill walking, or power walking—to improve health outcomes more effectively.

Ultimately, the evidence supports regular physical activity as beneficial, but the emphasis should be on overall movement and intensity rather than adherence to an arbitrary numeric target.

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