10,000 steps: why the daily health goal is a good idea, even if science doesn’t back it up
- The idea of taking 10,000 steps a day being a worthy health goal owes its origin to a 1965 Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer
- Despite this, experts say it is a ‘reasonable target for adults’ as long as your motivation is not affected
My phone is on me at all times to make sure I don’t miss a step (my goal is 11,000). And I’m not alone in my pursuit of a daily step goal. Step counters are built into all iPhones (check out the “Health” app), #10000steps is a popular Instagram hashtag, and watches with pedometers and heart monitors adorn many wrists.
Celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak recommends step counting for his A-list clients. He tells them there are 168 hours in a week, and if they are only in a gym for three hours a week, that leaves 165 sedentary hours. That’s when steps should be taken.
People who faithfully adhere to 10,000 daily steps or who scold themselves for not reaching a daily goal may be surprised to learn that this widely accepted target did not originate as the result of years of scientific research. Instead, it grew out of the marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer invented in 1965.
The name of the pedometer was Manpo-kei (10,000-step meter), and the ads for the device said, “Let’s walk 10,000 steps a day!” More than 50 years later, the idea that adults need to walk 10,000 steps a day continues.
Over the years, many researchers have studied the 10,000-step number to see if it holds weight. The answer is both yes and no. Although 10,000 steps is not universally appropriate for all ages, genders and levels of physical function, it is considered “a reasonable target for healthy adults,” according to a 2011 research review published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity.