Not 10,000 steps for everyone - age decides how many steps you should do every day, study says - Woman & Home

What the report says

Woman & Home reports that the widely repeated target of 10,000 steps a day is not a universal health benchmark and should be viewed in context. The article notes that the figure originated more than 50 years ago from a Japanese pedometer marketing campaign, rather than from a clinical guideline, and says more recent research has examined whether lower daily step counts can still support health.

Citing a meta-analysis published in The Lancet, the report says the number of steps associated with lower risk of early death appears to vary by age. In the review of 15 studies, adults over 60 saw the strongest association at roughly 6,000 to 8,000 daily steps, while people under 60 were in the range of about 8,000 to 10,000. Woman & Home reports that benefits appeared to level off beyond those ranges, with no extra gain identified from an additional 2,000 steps.

The article also refers to research from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Medical University of Lodz, which found associations between lower step counts and reduced mortality and cardiovascular risk. According to the report, at least 3,867 steps a day was linked with reduced risk of death from all causes, while 2,337 steps was linked with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. It also says each additional 1,000 steps was associated with a 15% lower risk of premature death, and each 500-step increase with a 7% reduction.

For practical context, Woman & Home points to the NHS recommendation that adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity weekly. The piece suggests walking can contribute to that goal through household movement, short and long walks, interval-style walking, or treadmill-style walking pads.