![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5057753_1_articleinlinemobile_PA-_2010_2c000_20steps.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
Setting a daily step count is also a highly effective way to build consistency and drive fitness progress, say epxerts. Picture: Alamy\/PA.<\/p>\nWhen it comes to daily step goals, 10,000 is the benchmark many of us aim for.<\/p>\n
Most smartwatches come pre-set with this target, and while their reminders can encourage us to stay active, they can sometimes leave us feeling discouraged when we fall short.<\/p>\n
We consulted some experts to explore the key benefits and drawbacks of this popular 10,000 steps a day idea.<\/p>\n
Where did the 10,000 step goal come from, and is it actually backed by science?<\/p>\n
While the 10,000 steps a day standard is widely accepted, its origins are rooted in marketing rather than scientific research.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy understanding of the 10,000 step goal is that it comes from Japanese marketing back in the Sixties, originally driven around pedometer sales. Therefore, this 10,000 step benchmark has no scientific base or value,\u201d says Professor Dane Vishnubala, chief medical adviser at Active IQ.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThere\u2019s no research to prove 10,000 is the sweet spot, and actually most research suggests that a lot less steps than that still has significant benefits.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
What are the positives of the 10,000 step goal?<\/p>\n
Keiren Douglas, wellbeing personal trainer at Nuffield Aberdeen, thinks that the main benefit of the 10,000 daily step goal is the fact that it provides a tangible number for people to aim for.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s good to have something to motivate people to walk more and is nice to have some sort of guideline to work towards,\u201d says Douglas. \u201cHaving something to track and monitor your progress is a massive tool for any type of training you would do, as it can be beneficial for people to be able to see, okay, I did this X steps, reps etc this week, if I want to improve I need to beat that number.\u201d<\/p>\n
Setting a daily step count is also a highly effective way to build consistency and drive fitness progress, say epxerts. Picture: Alamy\/PA.<\/p>\n
Setting a daily step count is also a highly effective way to build consistency and drive fitness progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsistently getting out and walking every day means it\u2019s not going to be so much of a shock every time you go out for a walk,\u201d says Douglas. \u201cFor example, if I did one big walk every week, I\u2019m probably going to suffer a lot more afterwards than if I was to do seven moderate or light walks a week instead.\u201d In addition, consistent movement has substantial health benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhysical activity can help prevent a large number of chronic diseases. We also know that sitting time is correlated to an early death as well as chronic disease, so we want to encourage people to move more and sit less,\u201d says Vishnubala.<\/p>\n
Getting outdoors to do some extra steps can also help boost energy levels and mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 10-30 minute walk can make a massive difference to your mood,\u201d says Douglas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt can reduce anxiety, depression and is absolutely essential for keeping your mobility, especially as we get older.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
Furthermore, walking is fairly low intensity and tends to be much more accessible than other types of workouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are just starting to get into fitness, doing something like a 5k run or an intense weight training programme might be quite intimidating and increase the risk of injury,\u201d says Douglas. \u201cHowever, with steps, it\u2019s something that we naturally tend to be able to do quite a lot of through the day without exhausting ourselves too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
What are the cons of the 10,000-step goal?<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many people, a 10,000 step target is too high or may be seen as off-putting,\u201d says Vishnubala.<\/p>\n
Douglas agrees and says a lot of his clients are intimidated by the 10,000 daily step target.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can often feel like an overwhelming number to many of my clients, especially the ones who sit at a desk all day at work,\u201d says Douglas. \u201cIt can definitely put a lot of pressure on someone, especially if they are already having a really bad day or a busy week. It can make them feel like they\u2019ve failed, even when it\u2019s just not feasible for them to hit that target.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I think the answer isn\u2019t to feel bad about not moving, it\u2019s more about setting realistic targets so that you can hit them, feel good about it and still see benefits for your health.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What does current research say about the ideal daily step count for good health?<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are studies to suggest that even just going from 2,000 steps to 4,000 or 6,000 steps a day will still have significant health benefits,\u201d says Vishnubala. \u201cSo, are we really selling the right message by saying 10,000 steps is what we need to aim for, or do we need to make it more realistic?<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people who do 10,000 steps and or aim for that are usually people who are already active, but a more realistic target could be beneficial to help people who are currently inactive and want to increase their activity levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
What simple things can help people increase their daily movement?<\/p>\n
\n Set smaller and more realistic targets\n <\/p>\n
\u201cSet yourself smaller targets to start off with, and gradually increase them to get to your end goal,\u201d recommends Douglas.<\/p>\n
\n Make it fun\n <\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to go out and just walk senselessly. Instead, why not go out and find some landmarks near where that you live, or listen to an audio book to make it a bit more enjoyable,\u201d says Douglas.<\/p>\n
\n Go with your friends\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you walk and talk with your friends, you can walk for hours and not even notice the time and distance go by,\u201d says Douglas.<\/p>\n
\n Find an activity that you enjoy\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s all about understanding what is going to motivate you to be active,\u201d says Vishnubala. \u201cThere\u2019s no point in sending someone who\u2019s not motivated by the gym to the gym. The key thing is consistency and doing it regularly, so find something that you enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it comes to daily step goals, 10,000 is the benchmark many of us aim for. Most smartwatches…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[78],"tags":[18,135,19,17,8073],"class_list":["post-467518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-eire","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-wow"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116514997230688653","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}