Do You Really Need 10,000 Steps a Day for Your Health?

Key Takeaways

If you use an Apple Watch or Fitbit to track your daily movements, you’re probably familiar with the satisfaction of “closing your circle” or hitting your daily step goal. Many people strive to get 10,000 steps daily, some surpassing that target. But the 10,000-step goal may not live up to the hype when it comes to your health.

The key word is “aerobic”—you want to move your body enough that your breathing is heavier, your heart rate is elevated and it’s difficult to hold a conversation,Sherrie Khadanga, MD, director of cardiac rehabilitation at the University of Vermont Medical Center, told Verywell.

It’s great to have any physical activity but to get the cardiovascular benefits, you want it to at least be of moderate intensity, Khadanga said.

Being physically active can help you manage weight, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve brain health.Regular exercisecan also reduce the risk of certain adverse health events and diseases, including:

So if setting adaily step goalgets you moving, here’s how to make those steps count.

What Is Aerobic Exercise?

Steps Count—If You Pace Yourself

In one study of daily step counts and mortality in adults aged 40–79, researchers found that getting up to 10,000 steps per day was associated with a lower risk of death, as well as a lower incidence of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.

This relationship held up for step counts up to 10,000, meaning that those who got more steps tended to see a lower risk of death and disease. After that maximum step count, there wasn’t enough data to draw a clear conclusion. But the researchers also noted that a higher step intensity, or pace, may provide additional health benefits.

That’s why healthcare providers tend to speak in terms of minutes and intensity of exercise rather than steps per day, Khadanga said. Some of the major health benefits of physical activity come from exercising your heart, which occurs when you exert yourself at a moderate-to-high intensity.

Sherrie Khadanga, MDIf you’re trying to align your step goals with the national recommendations for moderate-intensity exercise, you should aim for 7,000 to 8,000 steps per day at a brisk walking pace.

Sherrie Khadanga, MD

If you’re trying to align your step goals with the national recommendations for moderate-intensity exercise, you should aim for 7,000 to 8,000 steps per day at a brisk walking pace.

The American Heart Association (AHA) defines a brisk walking pace as at least 2.5 miles per hour.For city dwellers, that’s hardly considered brisk, New York University Langone cardiologistSean Heffron, MD, told Verywell. If you can sustain a pace of three miles per hour for 30 minutes, Heffron said that should get you to at least 7,000 steps.

You don’t need to get all 7,000 steps within 30 minutes, Heffron said, as long as you’re maintaining that pace. If your exercise is spaced throughout the day, your overall benefit will probably be similar.

Aim For 30 Minutes of Moderate Exercise Per Day

The AHA recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise per week, ideally spread throughout the week.You can also do a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise and add resistance training tostrengthen your muscles.

To get a sense of your exercise intensity level, Khadanga said you can track your heart rate with a wearable device or consider your perceived exertion rate: how you feel and whether you can carry on a conversation. If you can respond “yes” or “no,” but anything else would be too much effort, you’re probably at moderate intensity, she said.

What to Know About Heart Rate Zones

Moderate Intensity Exercise

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity can include anything from brisk walking todancingto gardening, Khadanga said. Other forms of moderate-intensity exercise include:

You can split your physical activity into 30-minute increments of moderate physical activity five times a week or work in shorter walks, housework, or other activities.

Personal preference should also play a role in your exercise routine—find what works best for you and stick with it for the most sustainable results, Wang said. Whether throwing a Frisbee in the park or playing pickup basketball, getting your heart rate up is beneficial.

How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking a Mile?

Vigorous Intensity Exercise

Vigorous intensity aerobic activity can include:

HIIT can be an efficient way to reap the rewards of exercise in a shorter time frame compared to steady-state activities like walking or running, Wang said. Additionally, working out on machines like a treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike allows you to modify the intensity of your exercise based on your needs.

Other Forms of Exercise

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans also emphasize the importance of muscle-strengthening exercises at least twice weekly.This can include bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, and sit-ups, which can be done almost anywhere without equipment, Wang said.

Activities like yoga and pilates can offer physical benefits such as improving flexibility and strength, as well as better mental wellness, Wang said. If the thought of getting 10,000 steps a day is intimidating, and going to the gym is not your jam, focus on moving your body more. Making small changes is more manageable than overhauling your whole routine; your body will thank you for it.

Aerobic Capacity: What to Know

More Exercise Isn’t Always Better

As you’re incorporating more physical activity into your lifestyle, know there is such a thing as too much. Overtraining increases the risk of injuries and may come with adverse effects such as a weakened immune system, Wang said.

People who live relatively sedentary lifestyles stand to benefit the most, Heffron said. Going from 0 to 150 minutes of exercise per week—or from sitting down all day to getting 8,000 steps—will bring a substantial reduction in cardiovascular risk, he said. Upping your weekly goal to 300 minutes of exercise offers a significant benefit, albeit with fewer marked increases. But as you continue to increase the amount of exercise, the benefits taper off.

“You really get a lot of bang for your buck going from nothing to something [in terms of exercise], but then it certainly slows down,” Heffron said.

Remember that the relationship between exercise and health benefits isn’t linear. After a certain point, increasing the intensity or duration of exercise doesn’t necessarily yield more benefits and may increase the risk of injury.

Signs of overtraining may include unexplained tiredness, crankiness, or feeling that your performance has dropped unexpectedly, Wang said. While 10,000 steps a day and 30 minutes of exercise are excellent goals, the best choice varies based on your fitness level, personal goals, and lifestyle.

What This Means For YouIf you’re trying to be more active, consistency and listening to your body is more important than step goals. Pick a form of exercise you enjoy, and the results will follow.

What This Means For You

If you’re trying to be more active, consistency and listening to your body is more important than step goals. Pick a form of exercise you enjoy, and the results will follow.

5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Department of Health and Human Services.Executive summary: Physical activity guidelines for Americans 2nd edition.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of physical activity.Del Pozo Cruz B, Ahmadi MN, Lee IM, Stamatakis E.Prospective associations of daily step counts and intensity with cancer and cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality and all-cause mortality.JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182(11):1139-1148. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4000American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How much physical activity do adults need?.

5 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Department of Health and Human Services.Executive summary: Physical activity guidelines for Americans 2nd edition.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of physical activity.Del Pozo Cruz B, Ahmadi MN, Lee IM, Stamatakis E.Prospective associations of daily step counts and intensity with cancer and cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality and all-cause mortality.JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182(11):1139-1148. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4000American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How much physical activity do adults need?.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Department of Health and Human Services.Executive summary: Physical activity guidelines for Americans 2nd edition.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of physical activity.Del Pozo Cruz B, Ahmadi MN, Lee IM, Stamatakis E.Prospective associations of daily step counts and intensity with cancer and cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality and all-cause mortality.JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182(11):1139-1148. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4000American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How much physical activity do adults need?.

Department of Health and Human Services.Executive summary: Physical activity guidelines for Americans 2nd edition.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of physical activity.

Del Pozo Cruz B, Ahmadi MN, Lee IM, Stamatakis E.Prospective associations of daily step counts and intensity with cancer and cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality and all-cause mortality.JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182(11):1139-1148. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4000

American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How much physical activity do adults need?.

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