Do You Really Need to Take 10,000 Steps a Day? Actually, It Was All a Marketing Ploy.

By Bob Hoge | 2:48 PM on May 19, 2024

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Remember the 6-foot magical COVID distance? If you stayed exactly that far apart from other people, you would avoid the virus and stay safe—as long as you were masked and vaxxed, of course.

Turns out that was yet another Fauci Fantasy—the number was made up because it seemed like a good idea, but there was no science backing it up.

Are you one of those who have been conditioned to get in your 10,000 steps a day? Maybe you have an Apple watch or a fitness tracker gently reminding you that you’ve been lazy and need to get off your behind? I admit to sometimes checking my iPhone to see how much I’ve walked, and I do feel a little chuffed when it’s over 10,000 steps. On those days that I know I’ve been indolent, however, I conveniently forget to check.

You’ve seen the recommendations:

Walking 10,000 steps a day offers a multitude of health benefits. It improves cardiovascular health by strengthening the heart and lowering blood pressure.

This daily activity also aids in weight management by burning calories and boosting metabolism. Walking promotes better… pic.twitter.com/fRlRC8ZaT5
— Barbara Oneill (@BarbaraOneillAU) May 19, 2024

Well, it turns out that all us non-hikers can feel a little better about ourselves today, because the magical 10,000 number is also made-up and is basically a marketing ploy. The milestone was initially set by a Japanese pedometer company that was looking for something catchy for their advertising. Making things easier for them, the 10,000 number in Japanese looks vaguely like a person walking or running. You decide, here’s the Kanji symbol for 10K: 万

I guess I see it, but I can’t say I would have come to that conclusion had I not been prompted. But 10K is an arbitrary figure:

“The 10,000 step count was not based on scientific data but rather a marketing ploy – a Japanese Company (Yamasa Clock) created a pedometer called Manpo-kei which means ‘10,000 step meter,’ perhaps because the Japanese character for 10,000 kind of looks like a person walking/running,” Dr. Tamanna Singh, co-director of Cleveland Clinic’s sports cardiology center, tells Nexstar via email. “Somehow, this led to a generalization that we need to get at least 10,000 steps/day.”

Interesting. I wonder if Fauci was consulted as an ad campaign consultant? More good news: you can get benefits without even coming close to that magical number:

There have been numerous studies that suggest you may not have to get close to 10,000 to reap some health benefits.

Singh points to studies that suggest an association between the number of steps you take and mortality. A 2023 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggested 2,600 to 2,800 daily steps was enough to produce health benefits, while a European study from 2022 found that increasing your step count by 1,000-step increments may lead to a 15% decrease in your risk of all-cause mortality.

See, I am super healthy, I just didn’t know it. I’m calling my wife with the good news straight away.