If you’ve been told that walking 10,000 steps a day is mandatory for good health, you might be surprised to learn that scientists suspect the figure was created to market pedometers and wasn't based on actual data. The number of steps that stave off numerous chronic conditions is actually much lower, according to a paper published today in Lancet Public Health that reviewed the past decade’s research on steps and health.
Walking just 7,000 steps a day lowers the risk of developing more than a half dozen medical conditions as well as premature death, according to the researchers.