Did you get your steps in today? Almost, you say? I am at 7,000 so far, you share. This coach is here to give you a high five, because you have reached the number of steps needed daily to boost your health!
[1]Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology Professor I-Min Lee, was one of the first investigators to question whether the conventionally accepted 10,000 steps a day is necessary for health. She was the principal investigator of one of the first large-scale epidemiologic studies measuring physical activity relative to sedentary behavior. The 2019 findings are from among 18,000 women, mean age of 72, who entered the study between 2011 to 2015. As reported by Harvard Health Publishing [3], Lee’s study found that the women whose step count averaged 4,400 a day, measured by an accelerometer tracking device, reduced their risk of premature death by 41%, compared to women who took 2,700 or fewer steps per day. The risk of early death continued to drop as the average count increased, but the benefits plateaued at approximately 7,500 steps.
Pacer, an app that tracks steps, states that “Most studies have found that Americans take around 5,000 steps on average.” [4] Daily activity, not including intentional exercise for steps, such as walking to and from your vehicle, doing daily tasks, and moving around an office can add up. Add in steps using some form of exercise each day, and you’ll reach that ideal number of 7,000.
If time is tight — and whose isn’t? — you just need to carve out less than an hour to get to your goal. Students in my fitness classes who wear trackers tell me that each class registers between 5,500 and 8,000 steps! The friendly competition between a few of them brings an extra energy to the entire class, as each tries to outdo the other. Of course, the style of class and how hard you go determines the exact number for each person, but that means that one class or one intentional walk—a mile will gain you 2,000 to 2,500 steps—is all you need to bump up your health.
Is it worth it? Absolutely. In 2025, The Lancet Public Health published the findings of a meta-analysis [5] which took the results from 31 prior studies. They found that walking 7,000 steps per day may play a part in reducing the risk of chronic diseases, cognitive decline and extending longevity. Like the study by Dr. Lee, the results of the meta-analysis showed that, compared to those in the sedentary range of 2,000 steps, those who stepped it up to at least 7,000 had a lower risk of all-cause mortality, dementia, falls, cardiovascular disease and mortality, depressive symptoms, type 2 diabetes, and cancer mortality.
Use the Pacer Activity to Steps conversion tool [6] to pick your pleasure—and I wish you happy stepping!
Activity To Steps Conversion
| Activity Type | Steps Per Minute |
|---|---|
| Aerobic | 186 |
| Dancing | 152 |
| Elliptical | 214 |
| Kayaking | 157 |
| Skiing | 181 |
| Wheelchair | 143 |
| Yoga | 71 |
Contributing writer Denise Lum is a Health and Fitness Coach raising her family in Alameda. Contact her via [email protected] [7] or FitnessByDsign.com [8]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Denise-Lum [9].