How Many Steps Do You Really Need?

Content

Amanda Paluch

By Amanda E. Paluch, PhD

From American College of Sports Medicine. Copyright © 2026 by ACSM. Reprinted by permission.

If you own a smartphone or wearable device, chances are you already track your daily steps. Step counting has become one of the most popular ways people monitor their physical activity, and for good reason, steps are simple, intuitive, and easy to track throughout the day. But how many daily steps are actually associated with better health? For years, 10,000 steps per day has been the go-to target, a number that traces back to a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign rather than scientific evidence. The good news is the science has caught up.

The Steps for Health Collaborative recently completed a comprehensive review on daily step counts and health. In our recent meta-analysis published in Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, we pooled data from over 125,000 adults across 17 studies on all-cause mortality and 11 studies on cardiovascular disease (CVD). The findings are clear and consistent: more daily steps are associated with lower risk of death and CVD, following a curvilinear dose-response pattern. Risk declines steeply at first and then begins to level off at higher step counts. Among older adults (60 years and older), taking 6,000 to 8,000 daily steps was associated with substantially lower risk of both mortality and CVD, with potential additional benefit beyond 8,000 steps. Among younger adults (under 60), 8,000 to 10,000 daily steps were associated with substantially lower mortality risk.

Perhaps the most striking finding is how much benefit is associated with modest increments of steps at the lower end of the curve. Among older adults, compared to 3,000 daily steps, each additional 1,000 steps told a compelling story: 4,000 steps meant 21% lower mortality risk, 5,000 steps meant 37% lower, 6,000 steps meant 46% lower, and 7,000 steps meant 51% lower. CVD risk followed nearly the same staircase pattern. Among younger adults, mortality risk was 28% lower at 7,000 steps and 34% lower at 8,000 steps, compared to 5,000. Every step truly does count, and the greatest relative benefit may be among those who are currently the least active.

To be clear, the leveling of the curve at higher step counts does not mean that taking more steps is associated with higher risk, it simply means the additional benefit becomes smaller with each additional step. Someone taking 12,000 daily steps is not at greater risk than someone taking 8,000; the returns are simply diminishing. We also observed the step counts associated with substantial benefit were lower for older adults than for younger adults. This may be because a given number of steps represents a higher relative effort for older adults, who tend to have lower baseline activity levels and cardiorespiratory fitness. In other words, fewer steps may represent a proportionally larger stimulus for older individuals.

The health benefits associated with daily steps also extend well beyond mortality and CVD. Another recent meta-analysis examined daily steps in relation to a broader range of health outcomes including type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia, depressive symptoms, physical function, and falls. That review found consistent beneficial associations across all outcomes, with a similar curvilinear dose-response pattern, reinforcing that the relationship between daily steps and health is robust across multiple domains, not limited to heart health and mortality alone.

One question frequently asked is whether walking speed matters. The short answer: we are not sure yet. Some studies suggest higher stepping intensity may be associated with additional benefit, but most of the associations with lower risk appears to be driven by total daily steps rather than how fast those steps are taken. Based on the current evidence, a good recommendation is to focus first on accumulating more steps. Total daily step volume appears to be the foundation, and if you can walk briskly, consider this the icing on the cake.

So, what does this mean for ACSM members? As exercise professionals, clinicians, coaches, and researchers, we have an opportunity to use step-based messaging as a practical complement to the existing aerobic physical activity guideline of 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Steps offer a metric that is easy to communicate, readily trackable, and motivating for the people we work with. Not everyone relates to minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity, but most people understand steps. And the beauty of steps is they accumulate naturally, a walk to a meeting, a stroll after lunch, taking the stairs – no scheduled workout required. This makes daily steps a powerful tool for meeting patients and clients where they are, especially those who are just starting to become more active.

The bottom line is simple and positive: more daily steps are associated with better health, and you do not need to reach 10,000 to see meaningful benefit. 

Amanda E. Paluch, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a member of ACSM, past board member of the American Fitness Index and is a member of the ACSM Annual Meeting Program Committee. Dr. Paluch is a leading contributor to the Steps for Health Collaborative, and internationally recognized expert in the promotion of daily steps for health and longevity.