10K Steps A Day: Fact or Fad?

It’s no secret that walking is one of the best forms of exercise a person could get. It burns calories quickly and is an essential part of our daily lives. It’s easy to work into our routines without a lot of fuss. Recently, social media has revived talks of reaching a daily 10,000-step goal to promote optimal weight loss. However, where did this number come from? Does it even work? The truth is that the idea of reaching that step goal daily is rooted not in science. It originates from old marketing ploys! However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t reap the benefits of setting a step goal for yourself. Walking can help accelerate weight loss and is a great form of exercise.

10k Steps A Day?

If you scroll through social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram, you’ll find influencers and self-proclaimed “fitness EXPERTS” telling you to get in at LEAST 10k steps daily to look and feel your best. The idea is that if you are reaching that step goal daily, you’ll drop a ton of weight quickly. This can be true for some people, who will proclaim that the step goal is a foolproof hack. However, is this number even rooted in science or reality, or just a viral fad?

Origins

The idea of reaching 10,000 steps a day came from a Japanese marketing tactic from the 1960s. The Japanese company Yamasa wanted to promote its new pedometers. They did this by creating a “foolproof step goal” that promised to help you lose weight. By implementing this tactic, the idea of reaching 10,000 steps a day stuck, as it is a clean and even number to strive to achieve. This specific number isn’t backed by any scientific evidence or research, and is just an arbitrary number.

Is It Real?

Even though specifically reaching 10,000 steps a day hasn’t been shown to have any special impact, walking does help you support having a healthy body. Walking helps get people moving without being high-impact or tough on the body, and it’s easy to work into your daily routine. Getting your steps in helps your cardiovascular health, helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes better sleep quality, and increases energy levels, all of which will help support you on your weight loss journey. You don’t have to strive for 10,000 steps a day, though; you can do any amount of walking that provides you a challenge, while also supporting a comfortable and realistic routine for your personal needs.

What Should You Do?

While 10,000 steps a day is an arbitrary number, walking is a great way to keep your body moving and burn calories. Weight loss is caused by one thing: a calorie deficit. If you’re burning more calories than you’re taking in, you will accelerate your weight loss. Read about How Your Morning Routine Shapes Weight Loss & Health. 10,000 steps may prove to be too much for some people, depending on age, physical incapabilities, etc. It can also be too little of a challenge for people who already do a lot of walking. It is important to understand your limitations and comfort level with walking and set a realistic daily goal for yourself.

Try this: for one week, track the average number of steps you get in a day. You can do this by buying a cheap pedometer to attach to yourself. You can also use a smart watch or even a pedometer app on your phone. Add 500-1000 steps to that number. Make that your daily goal, and when it becomes easy, add another 500-1000 steps. This will give you a personalized step goal that allows you to reap the benefits of walking without making you strive for an arbitrary number.

Summary

Walking is a great way to get an adequate amount of exercise to support weight loss, but you don’t have to push for 10,000 steps a day if it isn’t ideal for you. Strive for an ideal amount of walking to comfortably challenge you daily, whether that be less or even more than 10,000 steps. Remember, losing weight is determined by calories in and calories out, and walking is a great idea for helping burn off extra calories during your day. You can track both calories in and calories out using The Difference App, a tool to make your efforts during your weight loss journey a little bit easier!