A study published in The Lancet highlights the connection between walking and reducing a variety of health and mortality risks.

Walking 10,000 steps per day has become a popular goal in the modern age, but it turns out this benchmark might not be the fitness gold standard after all.

According to a study published in The Lancet last week, getting 7,000 daily steps is enough to see meaningful health benefits. Researchers conducted a meta-analysis and systemic review of data from previous studies and found diminishing returns above that number.

Compared to walking 2,000 steps per day, reaching 7,000 steps was associated with a 47% lower risk of death, 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, 38% lower risk of dementia, 28% lower risk of falls, 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms, 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes and 6% lower risk of cancer. The improvements in health outcomes beyond 7,000 steps were more modest by comparison.

“The 10,000-step target, which originated in marketing campaigns, has often been seen as too high for many,” Dr. Asim Cheema, a specialist in internal medicine and cardiology at the telehealth platform Your Doctors Online, told HuffPost.

“Even a moderate amount of daily physical activity, such as walking 7,000 steps, can have significant health benefits,” he added. “This study indicates that a lower target can still yield substantial benefits for cardiovascular health, mental well-being and overall longevity. It suggests that you don’t need to aim for the highest threshold to make meaningful changes to your health.”

Indeed, many have traced the 10,000 steps a day rule back to a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign. This kind of research offers a helpful perspective shift away from the widespread cultural fixation on getting 10K steps every single day.

“These findings are refreshing, because they challenge the ‘all-or-nothing’ mindset that often surrounds fitness,” said Anjan Pathak, co-founder of wellness platform Vantage Fit. “For years, 10,000 steps per day was treated as a universal rule, even though its roots were more commercial than scientific. This study offers a more compassionate approach.”

The Real Takeaways For Step Counts

The conclusions of the study don’t necessarily mean you should treat 7,000 steps as some new gold standard,........

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