Ever since the advent of Fitbits and Apple Watches, 10,000 has been the magic step count number. For the average person walking at an average pace, hitting that goal takes about an hour and a half—time that most busy people simply don’t have. But an exciting new study finds that there’s a “more realistic and achievable target” that can slash your risk of death by nearly half.
RELATED: This Simple Exercise Is the Equivalent of 10,000 Steps, and It Takes Just 30 Minutes.
Walking 7,000 steps may be all you need.
The new study, published this week in the journal The Lancet Public Health, analyzed data from 57 studies conducted between 2014 and 2025 in more than 10 countries, including Australia, the U.S., the U.K., and Japan.
According to a press release, the researchers looked at the health outcomes of 160,000 people who walked between 2,000 and 10,000 steps, comparing the results in 1,000-step intervals.
Compared to walking 2,000 steps a day, walking 7,000 steps yielded the following health improvements:
- 47% reduction in all-cause mortality (nearly the same as those who walked 10,000 steps)
- 38% reduction in dementia (10,000 steps only reduced the risk by an additional 7 percent)
- 28% reduction in fall risk
- 25% reduction in cardiovascular disease
- 22% reduction in depression
- 14% reduction in type 2 diabetes
- 6% reduction in cancer
“For people who are already active, 10,000 steps a day is great,” said Katherine Owen, PhD, co-author and chief analyst of the study, and a biostatistician at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health. “But beyond 7,000 steps, the extra benefits for most of the health outcomes we looked at were modest.”
“However, for those who cannot yet achieve 7,000 steps a day, even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain,” added study co-author Melody Ding, PhD, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health. “Our research helps to shift the focus from perfection to progress.”
RELATED: How to Walk 10,000 Steps a Day Without Leaving the House.
Other researchers have come to similar conclusions.
This is certainly not the first time that researchers have debunked the belief that 10,000 steps is the holy grail.
A groundbreaking study published in 2023 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that taking just 3,867 daily steps significantly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality, while taking as few as 2,337 steps lowered cardiovascular mortality risk.
In speaking with Best Life about the study, Andrew White, CPT, a certified personal trainer with Garage Gym Pro, noted that walking gets your heart pumping and blood flowing.
“This enhanced circulation helps in maintaining good cardiovascular health. Regular walking also aids in regulating blood sugar levels and can be instrumental in weight management, which indirectly reduces the risk of various lifestyle-related diseases,” he explained. “Additionally, walking is a weight-bearing exercise, which can help improve bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.”
Yet another study found that 4,000 steps offered neuroprotective benefits, potentially reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
And if counting steps isn’t for you, research published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association concluded that engaging in 35 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week (of which walking is an example) lowered dementia risk by 41 percent.
One recent study even found that a short, 11-minute daily walk can lower your risk of premature death by 25 percent.
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