The 10,000 steps myth and other health targets debunked
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Some of our most widely held health and fitness dictats are based on little more than marketing.
By David Cox
The 10,000 steps a day idea has become one of the popular health mantras of the past decade, with the emergence of Fitbits and other wearables all fuelling a step counting obsession.
However, while the World Health Organisation, the American Heart Association and many others have all adopted the 10,000 steps a day goal, the number is actually completely arbitrary, originating in a Japanese boardroom in the 1960s. Few people realise but the company Yamasa simply dreamt up the figure as a way of promoting the world’s first step counter ahead of the Tokyo 1964 Olympics.
Instead actual research has suggested that between 6,000 and 8,000 steps per day might be the sweet spot for avoiding chronic illness. A new study published by scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health has found that if you currently live a fairly sedentary life, even just add...
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