The Myth Of 10,000 Steps

The idea of taking 10,000 steps a day started in Japan around the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. A company invented an early exercise measuring device called a pedometer and they branded it man-po-kei, which means 10,000 step meter. A new study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests fewer steps at a greater intensity might offer similar benefits.
 
Analyzing data from 3,388 adults who took part in a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers estimate the average American takes between 5,000 and 7,000 steps daily. Only the most active one-fifth of males get in more than 10,000 steps per day and the average for the top quintile of women was 9,824 steps.
 
If this arbitrary target seems difficult to reach, a cadence of 100 steps a minute is considered moderate-intensity activity. Scientists theorized 3,000 steps a day at a brisk pace with limited sitting time might be an easier target for many people to reach.