How many steps do you take a day?

Walking is good for us, but we may not need to do as much of it as originally thought to keep healthy

Everyone's heard that it's good for us to take 10,000 steps a day, but scientists are now saying we may not need to walk as far as we think to get the health benefits.

A new study by the Lancet Public Health, suggests 7000 steps every day is enough to combat serious disease, boost your brainpower, and help you live a longer, healthier life.

The study says while 10,000 steps is still a good goal for those who are more active, 7000 may be "more realistic and achievable for some".

"We have this perception we should be doing 10,000 steps a day," says lead author Dr Melody Ding, "but it's not evidence based".

What do you think? How many steps do you take a day? And where do you stomp around if you want to get your step count up? Let us know in the comments below.

Do you get some of your steps in by walking to school?

A step too far

The 10,000 steps goal was created as part of a marketing campaign in Japan in the 1960s.

In the lead up to the 1965 Tokyo Olympics, a brand of pedometer was launched called the manpo-kei, which translates as "10,000-step meter".

Health organisations around the world then started using this as an unofficial guideline, and it stuck.

Lots of apps and devices are available now to track how many steps you take

However, the new study looked at previous research data between 2014 and 2025, and found that those who walked 7000 steps instead of 2000 step reduced their chances of having bad mental health and life-threatening diseases.

The difference between 2000 and 7000 is stark, but after 7000, any health benefits increase only marginally.