7,000 Steps a Day: Why You Don’t Need 10,000 to Improve Your Health

Most of us have heard that getting 10,000 steps a day is a great benchmark for good health — but a recent study published in the Lancet Public Health found that people who get 7,000 steps per day have a 47% lower risk of death from all causes, a 25% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 38% lower risk of dementia. While this sounds great, actually hitting a step goal every day takes time, commitment, and advanced planning. Below, Life Time Fitness expert and personal training lead, Yan Toporovsky, shares his best tips to help you actually hit 7,000 steps a day.

Why the 7,000-step goal matters

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The idea of 10,000 steps a day became very popular, but most of the health benefits that people care about, such as better heart health, lower risk of early death, improvements in insulin sensitivity, weight management, etc., actually show up around 7,000 steps per day,” says Toporovsky. “This means the difference in the benefits you get between doing 7,000 steps vs 10,000 steps is not dramatic.”

Given that many people today live sedentary lifestyles that involve working at desks or commuting to work by car, jumping from a sedentary lifestyle to a consistent 7,000 steps per day offers a more realistic and sustainable option.

Toporovsky shares that 7,000 steps often becomes a ‘sweet spot’ that is high enough to provide major health changes, yet low enough that even people with busy lives can manage the habit long-term.

Every day movement matters

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To make getting started with a 7,000-step goal seem more attainable, Toporovsky recommends counting daily activities that are part of your normal life into your goal.

“Daily activities, such as house chores like vacuuming or doing the dishes, walking the dog, and trips to the grocery store, can count towards your goal. Consider pacing while brushing your teeth, standing and walking on work breaks, and other simple lifestyle changes that seem small, but require more steps than you think.”

Incidental movements, such as parking farther away from a destination or walking while talking on the phone, can also make a big difference in reaching your daily step goal.

“Walk 5–10 minutes after meals instead of sitting down, it helps digestion and adds a meaningful step boost with no extra time,” says Toporovsky.

“The biggest myth is that walking ‘doesn’t count’ because it looks easy. In reality, it is one of the most effective long-term health tools, especially for people who don’t maintain intense training forever,” he shares.

Building walking into your routine

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Building walking into your daily routine will feel forced when it’s new, but it’ll quickly become a natural part of your routine. As someone who has walked a minimum of 12,000 steps for 2 years now, I couldn’t imagine a life without walking.

If you struggle to fit walking into a busy schedule, Toporovsky recommends adding walking to something you already do, such as adding 5 to 10 minutes of walking after each meal or planning ‘walking meetings’ instead of just sitting. “If you own a treadmill, use it while watching TV or making calls — multitasking takes away the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse.”

Making walking more enjoyable also helps make forming a habit much more realistic.

“Walk with someone, listen to music or podcasts, change routes regularly, walk outdoors when possible, and don’t treat it like punishment. The more enjoyable it feels, the more automatic it becomes. Find what works best for you to stick to it,” he says.

Plus, humans complete naturally — which means finding a way to track and see your progress, joining group step challenges, and sharing steps socially can also turn your step goal into a ‘game’ and keep your motivation high.

What time of day should you walk?

Whenever you can.

“Morning walks help to wake up your system and set the tone for the day mentally. Evening walks help unwind the mind and reduce nighttime restlessness. But ultimately, the best time is the time you will consistently stick to. You can also split the walking time and do half in the morning, and half in the afternoons or evenings,” he recommends. “Personally, I’ve found splitting my steps between a walk before and after work to be the most realistic for my busy schedule.”

“Start small and build. Don’t wait for motivation or a “perfect” plan — just start walking a bit more than you do now and build gradually. Consistency beats intensity every time, and in no time, you will achieve 7k, 10k, or any goal you have.”

How to step up your walking routine

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Once you’ve mastered your 7,000-step walking routine, you can continue to challenge yourself by gradually increasing steps by 500 to 1,000 steps per day.

“Or, try making the same steps count by walking hillier routes or using treadmill inclines. Progress never has to be dramatic; slight and gradual progress wins.”

Walking at a faster pace or on an incline makes your heart and lungs work harder, helping to strengthen the cardiovascular system.

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