Do you really need to walk 10K steps a day?

I don't want to take movement for granted anymore. I realized we don't move enough. They just stopped. We're not sure. They kind of slowly coalesced into a gel and that was it for them. Evidence that they were actually counting their individual steps one at a time. They were trying to get to 10,000 for some reason. We don't know why.

Okay, this is funny because it's kind of true. A lot of us don't move enough. But the particular number of steps to hit that's stuck in your head right now is probably not right. There's actually nothing magical about hitting 10,000 steps a day. It's actually not based in science. It's from a Japanese marketing campaign back in the 1960s for pedometers. Here's what the research actually says. A recent review in 2025 in Lancet Public Health said that most of the actual benefits happen around 7,000 steps. Things like lower cardiovascular risk, lower risk of dementia or early death. Some health benefits even kick in sooner than 7,000 steps. Now, does getting more than 7,000 steps still help? Well, a little bit, especially if you're younger, but the gains past that 7,000 mark are pretty minimal. So if you haven't hit 10,000 steps in your day and you're worrying about congealing into a gel because you haven't been moving enough, then just aim for that 5,000 to 7,000 base mark. But honestly, steps alone aren't the whole picture of health. Walking is a great baseline, but it should not be your entire plan. If you actually care about aging well, then having a good progressive overload resistance training program is key, along with some good cardio to train your heart. So if you're looking for a more comprehensive plan that factors in resistance training, cardiovascular training, daily movement with your nutrition, your sleep, your stress, your work schedule, then make sure you reach out because that is exactly what my team and I do at Be Victorious Coaching. Just shoot me a DM or check out the link up in my bio to book a call. Happy walking.