What’s Your Ideal Daily Step Count?

Ask anyone how many steps you’re supposed to take each day and you’ll hear one number over and over: 10,000. That number, which for most people, works out to about 5 miles, has been a longtime tenet in the health and fitness industry.

10,000 steps seems like an ideal goal – it’s round, memorable, and ambitious without seeming impossible. But it’s also arbitrary according to Dr. I-Min Lee, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of a 2019 study on step goals. “The original use of ‘10,000 steps a day’ was not really found on a scientific basis,” says Lee, who found that a Japanese company that manufactured a pedometer called Manpo-Kei, or “10,000-step meter,” was the first to promote that number. Despite the number’s dubious origins, however, it took off, becoming the de facto daily step goal.

Lee’s research, published in May 2019 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, outfitted nearly 17,000 older women with accelerometers, allowing researchers to track their daily steps for a week. When they checked back in over four years later, the results were striking: As the number of daily steps increased, the all-cause mortality rate decreased – until 7,500 steps, where mortality rate leveled off.

In other words, 7,500 is the lowest number of steps with the highest level of health benefits, making it an ideal daily goal. Because of the undeniable benefits of exercise, it’s best to get as much of it as you can manage.

If you’re not already walking at least 7,500 steps a day, you shouldn’t expect yourself to hit that number immediately. Some people, especially those with respiratory issues or disabilities might not be able to hit 7,500 steps. Setting step goals that are sustainable and that you can do consistently is best. If it’s 5,000 steps, but you can do it every single day, that’s terrific!

Keep on stepping on!

Coach MJ