10,000 Steps

The 10,000 steps guideline finds its roots in Japan where walking is a very common activity. In fact the pedometer was developed in Japan by Dr. Yoshiro. He showed that people who have a certain daily activity level are generally healthier and found that 10,000 steps a day was a healthy guideline.

Unless you have a physical job, or make a concerted effort, it would be difficult to achieve 10,000 steps a day. With day to day activities such as grocery shopping or tidying the house people will usually log 3,000 - 6,000 steps. Most people have to add the remaining 4,000 -7,000 steps by doing some sort of exercise such as running, cycling or swimming.

10,000 steps is the recommended daily step goal for a healthy adult. The table below shows the activity level for an individual based on the number of steps a day.