If you own a smartwatch or fitness tracker, you probably know the number 10,000. For years, it has been presented as the daily step goal everyone should aim for, with reminders encouraging us to keep walking until we reach it.
But what if you could get most of the health benefits without taking quite so many steps?
That question is becoming increasingly important as scientists discover that the difference between walking 7,000 and 10,000 steps a day may be smaller than previously believed.
Now, the US government is preparing to take a closer look at how many steps people should actually aim for. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), new official guidance on daily steps and strength training is expected in 2027.
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It would be the first time the United States has introduced a specific federal recommendation focused on daily step counts, although officials have not yet decided what that number should be.
The surprising truth behind 10,000 steps
Most people assume that the recommendation to walk 10,000 steps a day comes from decades of medical research. Surprisingly, that is not the case.
According to Harvard Health, the number can be traced back to Japan in 1965, when a company introduced a pedometer called the Manpo-kei, which translates to "10,000 steps meter."
The figure was chosen as part of a marketing campaign rather than because scientists had identified 10,000 steps as the ideal amount of daily exercise. Nevertheless, the number gradually became a worldwide fitness target, eventually appearing on smartphones and smartwatches.
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As previous reporting on the 10,000-step myth has highlighted, researchers have increasingly questioned whether people really need to walk that far to improve their health.
The latest evidence suggests that a lower target could be much more realistic without sacrificing many of the potential benefits.
Researchers found major benefits at 7,000 steps
One of the strongest pieces of evidence comes from a major study published in The Lancet Public Health in July 2025.
Researchers examined 57 previous studies involving adults from countries including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. They compared people's daily step counts with their risk of developing serious illnesses or dying prematurely.
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The results were striking. Compared with people who walked around 2,000 steps a day, those who reached 7,000 steps had:
- A 47% lower risk of dying from any cause.
- A 25% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
- A 38% lower risk of dementia.
- A 22% lower risk of experiencing depressive symptoms.
- A 28% lower risk of falls.
The findings suggest that substantial health benefits are associated with walking 7,000 steps a day, rather than necessarily reaching 10,000.
However, the researchers stressed that these were associations, not proof that walking a particular number of steps directly prevents disease. The evidence was also stronger for some outcomes than others, with the dementia estimate based on only two studies.
Walking more still helps, but the extra gains may be smaller
Perhaps the most interesting finding was what happened when participants walked beyond 7,000 steps.
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For overall mortality, the estimated reduction in risk was almost identical at 7,000 and 10,000 daily steps. Researchers also found that the additional reduction in dementia risk at 10,000 steps was relatively modest.
That does not mean walking 10,000 steps is pointless. People who enjoy longer walks can still benefit from being more active, and the researchers found that some health outcomes continued to improve at higher step counts.
However, the results suggest that 7,000 steps could be a more achievable target for people who struggle to reach five figures every day.
Professor Melody Ding, who led the research at the University of Sydney, explained the importance of the findings in a statement published by the university.
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"Aiming for 7000 steps is a realistic goal based on our findings, which assessed health outcomes in a range of areas that hadn't been looked at before," she said.
The professor also emphasized that people do not need to reach 7,000 steps immediately. Even increasing daily movement from 2,000 to 4,000 steps was associated with meaningful health improvements.
In other words, someone who currently spends most of the day sitting down can still make progress by adding a short daily walk, without worrying about reaching an ambitious number overnight.
Strength training could become part of the new advice
Walking is not the only activity being examined as part of the upcoming US guidelines. Officials are also considering whether Americans should receive more detailed advice on muscle-strengthening exercises.
The current US physical activity guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, alongside activities that strengthen their major muscle groups on at least two days.
Moderate exercise can include brisk walking or cycling, while strength training does not necessarily require a gym membership. Exercises such as squats, push-ups and resistance-band workouts can also help strengthen muscles.
Research suggests that these activities are particularly important for long-term health.
A review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine examined 16 studies and found that muscle-strengthening activities were associated with a roughly 10% to 17% lower risk of several major health outcomes, including premature death.
The researchers also found that approximately 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening activity per week was associated with some of the largest risk reductions. However, this does not establish an ideal amount for every individual, and the findings were based on observational research.
Will 7,000 steps become the new official recommendation?
That remains to be seen.
The US Department of Health and Human Services is currently collecting scientific evidence and public comments before publishing its updated guidance in 2027.
The department has opened a consultation through Regulations.gov, under docket number HHS-OASH-2026-0463. Researchers, health professionals and members of the public can submit comments until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 12, 2026.
Importantly, the government has not announced that 7,000 steps will replace 10,000 as an official target. The new guidelines could also consider factors such as age, physical ability and the health benefits of different types of exercise.
For now, the scientific message is encouraging. You do not have to walk exactly 10,000 steps every day to improve your health, and falling short of that number does not mean your efforts have been wasted.
Whether you walk 3,000, 5,000 or 7,000 steps, increasing your activity from your usual level can make a meaningful difference. For many people, that is a far more useful place to start than chasing a number originally created to sell a pedometer.
This article is made and published by Aksel Kryhlmand, who may have used AI in the preparation.