Do We Really Need 10,000 Steps?

Do We Really Need 10,000 Steps?

Kaitlyn Wilburn, Writer

Now we all know that 10,000 steps is a healthy goal to achieve. It has been marketed by tons of fitness watch companies and health websites. But what if I told you that it wasn’t scientifically proven? Well, it hasn’t. Until recently when a team at University of Massachusetts Amherst conducted a study to see if you really need ten thousand steps a day and if that particular number is the right goal. Turns out, it doesn’t mean anything, it’s just a number. The ten thousand steps goal was just made up as a marketing tactic for a fitness watch in Japan. So, back to the study, the team at Amherst found that seven thousand steps was a good benchmark for daily steps to get the most health benefits. However, you can walk more than seven thousand, but you don’t have to. This means you don’t have to stress about getting to your ten thousand steps a day. You will be just fine with seven thousand. Now walking and getting steps in is very beneficial in many ways. Besides helping lose weight and becoming more fit, it also boosts creativity, which is always a good thing.