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, however. These findings don’t make 10,000 steps a bad........

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