Walking is a fantastic way to stay active but are 10,000 steps really necessary? Recent studies suggest that you can improve your health by walking 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day.
Research shows that walking 7,000 to 8,000 steps daily can lower the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and depression. Even just 4,000 steps a day can significantly improve your health.
While moving more is generally better, you don’t have to fixate on 10,000 steps if this is daunting for you. Instead focus on gradually increasing your step count by 2,000 steps a day until you reach a sustainable level.
Interestingly, the 10,000-step target actually comes from a Japanese pedometer marketing campaign in the 1960s, not scientific research.
In conclusion, you do not need to walk 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy. While many apps claim to calculate your perfect step goal, the most important thing is setting a realistic target and staying consistent. Move more when you can, but listen to your body.
