Key takeaways

  • While 10,000 steps daily is a popular goal, research suggests that significant health benefits can be achieved with fewer steps, often in the range of 7,000 to 8,000 steps per day.
  • The ideal daily step count is personalized and depends on individual factors like age, current fitness level, and health goals, with any consistent increase in activity proving beneficial for those just starting out.
  • To increase daily steps for improved fitness or weight management, gradually build up your step count by adding 250 to 1,000 steps to your current average, while also considering dietary habits and sleep for holistic well-being.

Healthcare organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend doing at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, but many people also aim to walk 10,000 steps a day.

Walking 10,000 steps may offer several health benefits for your heart, brain, and mental well-being. However, walking this many steps may not suit everyone, all the time.

For instance, you may need to work up to it, and you’ll also need to work out how many steps you need to meet your individual goals. Finding time to walk 10,000 steps can also be challenging.

What’s more, some experts suggest that you may not need to walk quite that far to get the benefits.

Keep reading to learn more about how many steps you may need to take per day.

Limited studies have determined the precise number of steps people should take daily, but researchers have identified a range of 7,000 to 10,000 steps as being optimal for most populations.

For instance, a 2025 review found that taking 7,000 steps daily was associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with 2,000 steps. Taking more steps was also linked with a lower risk of developing:

A 2020 study found similar results, concluding that 8,000 daily steps is more beneficial for all-cause mortality than 4,000 steps. And, the authors noted that total daily steps are a more important factor than step intensity.

Lastly, a 2022 review of 15 studies found that the lower risk of all-cause mortality plateaued at a certain step count, varying by age:

  • 60 years or older: 6,000 to 8,000 steps
  • less than 60 years: 8,000 to 10,000 steps

Like the study above, the authors concluded that step intensity was less important than total daily step count.

The number of steps you aim for may depend on factors like your mobility, overall health, and goals. For people just getting started, any consistent increase is better than no increase.

Many step counters come with 10,000 steps preprogrammed as a goal. The idea of 10,000 steps originated in a 1965 Japanese marketing campaign to sell pedometers.

In 2001, a project called Every Step Counts aimed to get people and communities more active. It’s a nice round number, a reasonable target, and it’s encouraged many to start walking.

Some researchers also suggest that walking 10,000 steps daily is linked to several health benefits, including a lower risk of all-cause mortality, heart disease, and diabetes.

Walking 10,000 steps per day is unlikely to harm your health, but some experts have questioned whether this number is necessary.

For instance, a 2022 review concluded that the benefits likely plateau at 10,000 steps per day, and lower targets of 6,000 to 8,000 may be reasonable for people ages 60 years and older.

Weight loss is a multifactorial process that largely depends on maintaining a calorie deficit, which is when you consume fewer calories than you burn each day. Physical activity like walking can help you burn calories, but it’s only one component of maintaining a calorie deficit.

The number of steps needed to help you lose weight will depend on many other factors, such as the quality of your diet and how much high quality sleep you’re getting.

A 2018 study of participants on a calorie-restricted diet found that taking 10,000 steps daily helped support weight loss, especially when 3,500 of those steps were performed at high intensity.

However, you may not have to walk as many as 10,000 steps daily.

For instance, a 2022 review found that walking at least 8,200 steps daily was associated with a lower risk of obesity and other health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), and sleep apnea.

If you’re unsure how many steps to take daily to lose weight, consider speaking with a healthcare professional. They can help you develop an appropriate target based on your diet, lifestyle, and sleeping habits.

What about maintaining your current fitness level?

If you’re happy with the number of steps you take in a day, maintaining your current fitness level might be your primary goal.

Aiming to meet the minimum aerobic exercise recommendations of at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate aerobic exercise, or 30 minutes 5 days weekly, can help you support your current fitness level.

Incidentally, the steps you take during other exercises count toward your daily steps.

To improve your fitness, you need to know how many steps you’re currently averaging per day. A pedometer or smartphone app can help you with this.

Certified personal trainerEsther Avant suggested setting a goal of 500 to 1,000 steps above your current average and working to maintain this slight increase for 1 to 2 weeks, or until you feel comfortable with it.

Next, increase again and repeat the process until you reach your target steps, which may be 10,000 per day.

If your current step count is under 5,000, you may want to start by adding 250 to 500 steps per day. The first week, focus on increasing your step count by 250 every 1 to 2 days.

Next, start adding 500 steps per day until you consistently reach your target. You can then stay at this level or keep adding steps each day to move your step count up into a more active category.

Medical Perspective

“To avoid injury and prevent burnout, don’t increase your walking distance too drastically when first starting your walking program. First, develop a baseline (how many steps you typically take throughout the day), then try to increase your count by 10% to 20% each week until your desired step count is reached.”

— Gregory Minnis, DPT

Learn more about the benefits of walking and safety tips to get you started.

Quotes represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Depending on your lifestyle and available time, various tips can help you boost your step count:

  • Track your steps: Use an app or step counter to see how you’re progressing.
  • Build in a daily walk: Walking for 30 to 60 minutes each day can significantly boost your step count. Some common times include the morning, your lunch break, or the evening.
  • Take mini-walks: Take three 10-minute walks a day to fit in 30 minutes. This can be in the morning, at lunch, in the evening, or even between meetings.
  • Talk in person: Rather than messaging coworkers, get up and walk to their desks. Remember to keep your pedometer with you.
  • Park farther away: Walk a bit farther by leaving your car in the furthest parking spot.
  • Skip the magazines: Walk while waiting for appointments instead of sitting in the waiting room.
  • Walk and talk: Take your phone calls in places where you can walk while you talk. Engage colleagues in walking meetings, too.
  • Walk during kids’ activities: If you have to wait while kids do an activity, walk around instead of sitting and watching or waiting.
  • Join or organize a walking challenge: Friendly competitiveness can increase motivation.
  • Get others involved: Arrange a regular time to walk each week with friends, family, or neighbors.
  • Walk a dog: If you don’t have one, a neighbor might appreciate the offer.
  • Walk for charity: Raise money for a good cause by pledging to walk a number of steps per day for 1 month.

Many of these tips can also help you stay motivated, especially if you walk with others.

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to being active. While many people claim that being active starts at 10,000 steps, it depends on individual factors such as age, overall health, fitness goals, and so on.

Combined with healthy dietary choices and mindful portion sizes, walking 10,000 steps per day can help you burn calories and support weight loss.

Not everyone has the time or space to walk 10,000 steps a day, but you can increase your steps in small ways, such as frequent walks around the block or going up and down stairs a few times instead of using the elevator.

This will depend on the individual. Ten thousand steps is a nice round figure that many people stick to, and research suggests it has benefits. But some scientists now say the benefits may plateau around 8,000.

Walking 10,000 steps a day is a motivating target, and research shows it has multiple health benefits compared with inactivity. However, some scientists argue that fewer steps might be enough to support your physical and mental well-being.

To increase your activity levels, it’s a good idea to build up gradually or set slightly lower expectations if you have health or mobility issues.

If you include steps from other activities, such as gardening and walking from the car park to the office, you may well find you’re already on your way to 10,000.