How Many Steps a Day Do You Really Need?
Fewer than 10,000. Large studies find most of the benefit linked with walking comes by about 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day, and for adults 60 and older the benefit levels off at around 6,000 to 8,000. The 10,000 target started as the name of a pedometer, not a research finding. If you're well below those numbers, the first few thousand steps you add are the ones that count most.
Where 10,000 steps came from
In 1965 a Japanese company sold a pedometer called Manpo-kei, which translates as "10,000 steps meter." The number stuck. A 2019 study in JAMA Internal Medicine points out that origin, then tests it: in 16,741 older women (average age 72), those averaging about 4,400 steps a day had lower death rates than those averaging about 2,700, and the benefit leveled off at around 7,500.
So 10,000 isn't wrong. It's just a round number from a marketing campaign, and you don't need to hit it to get most of the benefit.
What the research says
| Study | Who | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| Saint-Maurice et al. 2020, JAMA | About 4,800 US adults aged 40 and over | Compared with 4,000 steps a day, 8,000 was linked with a 51% lower risk of death, and 12,000 with a 65% lower risk |
| Paluch et al. 2022, Lancet Public Health | 15 studies, 47,471 adults | The benefit leveled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps for adults 60 and older, and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults |
| Ding et al. 2025, Lancet Public Health | 57 studies from 35 cohorts | Compared with 2,000 steps, 7,000 was linked with a 47% lower risk of death, 38% lower risk of dementia and 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms |
These are associations: people who walk more may be healthier in other ways too. But the pattern is the same in all three. Going from very few steps to a moderate number makes the biggest difference, and the gains flatten out after that.
Does walking pace matter?
Less than you'd think, at least for step counts. In the 2020 JAMA study, step intensity wasn't linked with risk of death once total steps were counted. Paluch's team found the evidence on pace inconsistent. Brisk walking still matters for a different reason: it counts toward the 150 minutes of moderate activity a week the guidelines recommend. So get your steps in any way you can, and make some of them brisk.
Counting steps with a phone or a smartwatch
Wearable tech is the number 1 trend in the ACSM's 2026 fitness trends survey. You don't need anything fancy. Most phones count steps if they're in your pocket, and a basic fitness tracker or smartwatch does it from your wrist.
- Wear or carry it the same way every day. A phone left on the desk misses steps. That's fine, as long as it misses them the same way each day.
- Watch the weekly average, not one day. A quiet Sunday doesn't matter. A falling average does.
- Don't sweat accuracy. The ACSM notes that device accuracy varies. You're comparing yourself with yourself.
Steps aren't strength
Walking is the best daily habit there is, but it does little to build muscle once you can walk comfortably. That's why the guide to walking for fitness pairs it with lifting. Walk most days, and strength train two or three. Here's how to lay out those strength days.
How to start if you're coming back
- Week 1: find your baseline. Don't change anything. Just look at your average daily steps for the week.
- Week 2: add about 1,000 a day. A 10-minute walk after a meal does it for most people.
- Week 3: add another 1,000. Park farther away, take calls on foot, walk to the store.
- Week 4: hold it, and add strength. Keep the new average and start two or three short strength sessions.
Keep adding about 1,000 a day every week or two until you're in the 7,000 to 8,000 range, or 6,000 to 8,000 if you're over 60. Hang the walks on something you already do, which is how an exercise habit sticks.
A week of steps plus strength
Three strength days from Liftspan's free Full Body, 3 days plan, with walking doing the work on the days between.
| Day | Session | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Full Body A, plus your everyday steps | About 45 minutes |
| Tuesday | Brisk walk, plus your everyday steps | 30 minutes |
| Wednesday | Full Body B, plus your everyday steps | About 45 minutes |
| Thursday | Brisk walk with a hill in it | 30 minutes |
| Friday | Full Body C, plus your everyday steps | About 45 minutes |
| Saturday | Long walk | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Sunday | Rest, or an easy stroll | As you like |
Full Body A, B and C each cover a squat, a hinge, a push, a pull and a carry or core move, in about 45 minutes.
Walk most days, lift three, free
Log your steps or a walk and your daily flame keeps going, while your strength sessions count toward your week. Full Body, 3 days is free in Liftspan: it's built for your equipment and around any joint you flag, every weight is set for you and moved up as you earn it, and each block ends with a lighter deload week. Rather use paper? Download the sheet.
Common questions
Do I really need 10,000 steps a day?
No. The 10,000 target came from a 1960s Japanese pedometer. Large studies find the benefit linked with steps levels off at around 6,000 to 8,000 a day for adults 60 and older, and about 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults.
Is 7,000 steps a day enough?
For most people it's a solid target. A 2025 meta-analysis found 7,000 steps a day was linked with a 47% lower risk of death compared with 2,000 steps, along with lower risks of dementia and depressive symptoms.
How many steps a day should I aim for after 60?
Around 6,000 to 8,000. In a meta-analysis of 15 studies, that's where the lower risk of early death linked with more steps leveled off for adults 60 and older.
Does a phone count steps accurately?
Accurately enough to track your own trend, as long as you carry it the same way every day. Watch your weekly average rather than any single day's count.
Using Liftspan? See how logging your steps keeps your daily flame going in the help manual. New to it? Liftspan is a strength training app for lifters over 40 that builds your plan around your joints and moves the weight for you.
Sources: Paluch et al. 2022, Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts (Lancet Public Health) · Ding et al. 2025, Daily steps and health outcomes in adults (Lancet Public Health) · NIH, Higher daily step count linked with lower all-cause mortality (Saint-Maurice et al. 2020, JAMA) · Lee et al. 2019, Step volume and intensity with all-cause mortality in older women (JAMA Internal Medicine) · ACSM top fitness trends for 2026. General information, not a substitute for a clinician.
Keep reading: does walking build muscle? · how to build an exercise habit that sticks · the run-walk method · exercise snacks · how to start working out again after a long break · all guides