Do we really need 10,000 steps a day? |
You’ve probably heard that hitting 10,000 steps a day is the key to health and longevity.
This magic number feels like a medical rule, handed down by doctors across the globe.
But where did it come from? And is it even true?
Let’s step back to Japan in 1964
Believe it or not, but the infamous 10,000 steps a day recommendation didn’t come from a research laboratory.
In fact, it is not scientific at all.
It came from a Japanese pedometer called the manpo-kei which translates to “10,000-step meter”.
This pedometer went on sale just after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, at a time when there was a growing worry people in Japan weren’t moving enough.
The number was mainly chosen was because it was catchy and easy to remember. The Japanese kanji character for 10,000 – 万 – even looks a little like a walking person, which may have played a role in deciding on the number.
So 10,000 was a slogan to sell a step-counter, not an evidence-based recommendation.
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