The common advice to aim for 10,000 steps a day can seem daunting, especially for those with sedentary jobs or other commitments. While regular exercise is universally acknowledged as important, one leading doctor has suggested that the 10,000 steps target is more of a marketing gimmick than a health guideline.

On his podcast Feel Better, Live More, BBC Breakfast’s resident doctor, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, spoke with paleoanthropologist Dr Daniel Lieberman, reports The Mirror. During their conversation, it was revealed that the concept of “10,000 steps a day came from this accelerometer that was created in Japan just before the Olympics in ’64”.

Dr Lieberman, who is based in Massachusetts, USA, explained that the number 10,000 was chosen because it is considered “auspicious number in Japan” in Japan, leading to the creation of the ‘10,000 steps meter’. In the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Yamasa sought to capitalise on the growing fitness trend by developing the world’s first wearable step-counter, named the Manpo-Kei, which translates to “10,000-step meter”.

It’s thought that the company chose this number arbitrarily, but its catchy nature has ensured its continued popularity. In a clip from the podcast shared on TikTok, he further clarified: “So, there is no one number of steps to take per day. The evidence on exercise is pretty darn clear.

“Anything is better than nothing. If you’re completely sedentary, more steps climbing the stairs, parking your car further away from the shop…. anything is better than nothing. More is better, and at a certain point the benefits seem to tail off,” reports the Irish Mirror.

Expressing concern about fixating on a specific step count, he noted it is “not only impossible”, but also can convey the “wrong message”. For individuals aged 19 to 64, roughly 150 minutes of physical exercise each week is advisable, with walking playing a crucial role in enhancing endurance, burning calories, and bolstering heart health.

Moreover, findings from a study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology in 2023 indicated that even walking a modest 4,000 steps daily may substantially lower the risk of premature death. Further research has demonstrated that a mere 30-minute walk each day can assist with weight loss, while adopting the Nordic Walking technique can amplify calorie expenditure by 20 percent.