A Longevity Expert On Why You Only Need 7,000 Steps Per Day

Or take this 2020 study: Researchers did find that taking more steps per day was significantly associated with lower mortality, but when they measured those who took 8,000 steps versus 4,000 steps, they didn’t see much of a difference. 

However, just because those extra 3,000 steps might not make a significant difference doesn’t mean we should brush off the 10,000 steps per day recommendation. “I tend to communicate 10,000 because we need to have a little bit of a moonshot in terms of steps,” says Young. In other words: If people aim for a goal of 10,000 steps per day, in practice they might actually hover around 7,000—in this case, they’re still maximizing the benefits. 

And of course, any movement you can fold into your daily life is ideal. Try to follow whatever routine is most realistic and available to you. “The beauty of walking is that you don’t need to dedicate a lot of time to it,” says Young. “You can integrate it into your healthy lifestyle.”