Walking 7000 steps a day seems to be enough to keep us healthy

Many people like to check that they have walked 10,000 steps over the course of a day, but falling short of that target still seems to bring serious health benefits

By Chris Stokel-Walker

23 July 2025

Monitoring daily step counts can be an easy way of gauging how active you have been

volkerpreusser/Alamy

We are often told to aim for 10,000 steps a day to maintain good health, but it turns out that taking just 7000 steps every 24 hours can significantly reduce the risk of conditions such as heart disease, dementia and depression.

The 10,000 steps target is thought to have originated from a marketing campaign promoting pedometers in Japan. However, research suggests that it does have some merit.

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Official advice around exercise doesn’t typically include step counts. In the UK, for instance, at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, is recommended for most adults.

“When you ask regular people on the street, they won’t be able to answer [whether they achieve] that, because how are you supposed to read ‘moderate to vigorous’?” says Melody Ding at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Step counts, which can be measured by wrist-worn pedometers or smartphones, can be a useful way to track activity, so Ding and her colleagues wanted to better understand what number is needed to maintain good health.