How Many Steps a Day Do You Need? 10,000 vs 7,000 (UK)

Last updated: October 2026

Most adults don’t need 10,000 steps a day. Large studies show the health benefits climb steeply up to about 7,000 steps, then level off: around 6,000 to 8,000 for over-60s and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults. If you walk under 4,000 now, every extra 1,000 counts, and brisk steps count most.

Below: where 10,000 came from, a steps-by-age table, steps in miles and calories, weight loss, and easy ways to add steps in winter and at a desk.

The short version: aim for about 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day if you can, with some of them brisk (you can talk but not sing). If you’re well below that, add 1,000 a day and build up. 10,000 is a fine goal if you’re already active, but it isn’t a magic number.

Where does 10,000 steps come from?

Not from a study. Researchers at Harvard who looked into it say the goal most likely comes from a pedometer sold in Japan in 1965 called the Manpo-kei, which translates as “10,000 steps meter”. The round number stuck, was repeated in the press, and later became the default goal on many step counters and phones.

That doesn’t make 10,000 a bad target. It just means it was never worked out as the amount of walking you need for good health. Scientists only started testing step counts properly once wearable trackers made it possible to measure them in tens of thousands of people.

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What the research says

Four big pieces of research give a consistent picture: more steps are linked with better health, the biggest gains come at the low end, and the curve flattens somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 steps depending on your age.

Lancet Public Health, 2022. Pooled data from 15 studies and 47,471 adults found the risk of dying early kept falling with more daily steps, then levelled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps for people aged 60 and over, and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults.
Lancet Public Health, 2025. A review of 57 studies compared 7,000 steps a day with 2,000. At 7,000, people had a 47% lower risk of early death, 25% lower risk of heart disease, 38% lower risk of dementia, 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms and 28% lower risk of falls. For early death, heart disease, dementia and falls, the benefit began to level off at around 5,000 to 7,000 steps; for others, such as type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms, it kept improving with more steps. The authors said 10,000 is still a good target for people who are already active, but 7,000 may be more realistic for many.
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2023. A review of 17 studies and over 226,000 people found each extra 1,000 steps a day was linked with a 15% lower risk of early death. Benefits showed up from as little as about 3,900 steps a day, and from about 2,300 for heart-related deaths.
Women’s Health Study, 2019. In over 16,000 women with an average age of 72, about 4,400 steps a day was linked with lower death rates than 2,700, with the benefit levelling off at around 7,500.

One honest caveat: these are observational studies, so people who walk more may be healthier in other ways too. But the pattern holds across countries and age groups.

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How many steps a day by age

There’s no official UK step target, but the research points to these ranges. Treat them as a guide, not a pass mark.

Who	A sensible daily target	What it’s based on
Adults under 60	8,000 to 10,000 steps	Where the benefit levelled off in the 2022 Lancet analysis
Adults 60 and over	6,000 to 8,000 steps	Where the benefit levelled off for over-60s in the same analysis
Adults 65 and over (UK guidance)	7,000 to 10,000 steps	The UK Chief Medical Officers say this is roughly equal to 30 minutes of moderate activity a day on top of everyday movement; 4,500 to 5,500 is linked with better quality of life
Anyone starting from under 4,000	Add 1,000 to 2,000 a day, then build	The biggest gains come at the low end
Already active adults	10,000 or more is fine	More walking still builds fitness; the extra benefit per step is just smaller

The figures are the same for men and women. What changes is your starting point, so check your average over a normal week before you pick a goal.

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Steps and the UK activity guidelines

The UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines, which the NHS follows, don’t use steps for adults under 65. They ask for:

At least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking or cycling, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.
Strength exercises on at least 2 days a week that work all the major muscles. Over-65s should add balance and flexibility work too.
Less sitting, breaking up long spells with at least light movement.
Some activity every day. Some is better than none.

To turn this into steps, researchers use 100 steps a minute as the pace where walking becomes moderate exercise. So a brisk 30-minute walk is about 3,000 steps. Add that to the steps you take just living your day, and researchers estimate the total at about 7,000 to 8,000 steps: the same range the mortality studies point to.

The NHS says even a brisk 10-minute walk a day has health benefits and counts towards your 150 minutes. The free NHS Active 10 app, listed on the NHS Better Health website, records how much of your walking is brisk, which is a useful extra measure alongside your step count.

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Steps to miles, minutes and calories

The NHS puts brisk walking at about 3 miles an hour, which is 20 minutes a mile. At 100 steps a minute, that’s roughly 2,000 steps per mile. Taller people and faster walkers take longer strides, so cover more ground per step.

Steps	Rough distance	Time at a brisk pace
2,000	1 mile (1.6km)	20 minutes
5,000	2.5 miles (4km)	50 minutes
7,000	3.5 miles (5.6km)	70 minutes
10,000	5 miles (8km)	100 minutes

You don’t need to do this in one go. Steps from the school run, the shops and the stairs all count.

How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?

It depends mostly on your body weight and pace. The 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities rates walking at about 3 miles an hour at 3.8 METs, meaning it uses about 3.8 times the energy of sitting still. For a 70kg (11 stone) adult, that works out at roughly 300 to 450 calories for 10,000 brisk steps, depending on whether you count the energy you’d have used anyway. Heavier people burn more; lighter people burn less. Step-counter calorie figures are estimates, so don’t eat back every one.

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How many steps a day to lose weight?

The honest answer: walking alone rarely shifts much weight. A Cochrane review of 43 trials found exercise without diet changes led to only small weight losses, while exercise plus diet worked better than diet alone. The good news from the same review is that exercise improved blood pressure, blood fats and blood sugar even when the scales didn’t move.

For weight, think of steps as the support act:

Keep it up. UK guidance links 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day with keeping weight steady, which matters most after you’ve lost some.
Pair it with food changes. For most people, eating 300 fewer calories is easier than walking them off.
Sleep counts too. See sleep and weight loss for how poor sleep affects appetite.
Add strength work twice a week to protect muscle as you lose fat, especially through the menopause.

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Does walking pace matter?

Yes, but total steps matter most. In the 2022 Lancet analysis and the Women’s Health Study, faster walking was linked with lower risk, but the link weakened a lot once total daily steps were taken into account.

Pace still earns its place. Brisk walking counts towards your 150 minutes, it builds fitness faster, and you get more done in less time. A simple test from the NHS: you should be able to talk, but not sing. If you want a structured way to walk harder, try Japanese walking, which alternates 3 minutes fast with 3 minutes easy.

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How to get more steps in winter and at work

Step counts usually drop in the darker months, just when many of us feel tired in winter anyway. Small, regular habits work better than heroic weekend walks:

Walk in daylight. A 10-minute brisk walk at lunchtime gets you light and steps together.
Walk and talk. Take phone calls on your feet, or suggest a walking meeting.
Set a 45-minute nudge to stand up, refill your water and take the long way back. It’s one of the easiest fixes for the afternoon slump.
Use the stairs and the furthest toilet, printer or car park space.
Get off a stop early, or walk the first or last mile of your commute.
After-dinner stroll. 10 to 15 minutes after your evening meal adds about 1,000 to 1,500 steps.
Indoors on wet days: march on the spot during the TV adverts, climb the stairs a few extra times, or dance in the kitchen.
Wear the right kit: a waterproof, reflective layer and decent shoes make dark, wet evenings far more doable.

Long hours at a desk often go hand in hand with pressure. If work is squeezing out any time to move, our guides to stress at work and work-life balance may help. For more ideas, see winter wellness.

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Steps, energy, mood and sleep

Walking more won’t fix every cause of tiredness. If you’re always tired despite decent sleep, it’s worth ruling out common causes with your GP. For more ideas, see how to boost energy naturally.

On mood, the 2025 Lancet review linked 7,000 steps a day with a 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms compared with 2,000. See low mood for other things that help.

On sleep, a review of 66 studies found regular exercise had small benefits for how long people slept and moderate benefits for how well they rated their sleep. Studies looking at step counts alone and sleep are still limited.

More walking can mean more aching legs at first. Build up gradually, and see our guides to muscle recovery and magnesium for cramps.

If you’d like an evening drink to go with a more active routine, our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex combines magnesium bisglycinate and citrate with L-theanine and botanicals, in a berry-flavoured powder. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal muscle function. It’s vegan, made in the UK and for adults only. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding. For a wider look at the evidence, see the best supplements for energy.

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When to check with a GP first

Walking is one of the safest ways to be more active, and the UK guidelines are clear that long-term conditions or a disability shouldn’t stop people moving. But speak to your GP, practice nurse or physiotherapist before a big jump in steps if you:

have a heart or lung condition, or high blood pressure that isn’t controlled
get chest pain, feel faint or get unusually breathless when you’re active
have painful joints, a recent injury or back problems
have diabetes and problems with your feet
have had falls, or have been told to limit activity
are pregnant: your midwife can advise

Call 999 if you get chest pain that doesn’t go away, especially with breathlessness, sweating or pain spreading to your arm, jaw or back.

If upping your steps brings on sharp heel pain with your first steps in the morning, read plantar fasciitis: what helps and how long it lasts.

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FAQs

Do I really need 10,000 steps a day?

No. The figure most likely came from the name of a 1965 Japanese pedometer, not from research. Studies show most of the benefit by about 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day, though 10,000 is a fine goal if you’re already active.

Is 5,000 steps a day enough?

It’s a lot better than 2,000 to 3,000, and research links it with real benefits. But risk keeps falling up to about 7,000 to 10,000, so if 5,000 feels easy, add 1,000 a day and build up.

How many steps a day should I do if I’m over 60?

About 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day, which is where the benefit levelled off for over-60s in a large 2022 analysis. UK guidance for over-65s mentions 7,000 to 10,000, plus strength and balance work twice a week.

How many steps is a mile?

Roughly 2,000 steps at a brisk pace, so 10,000 steps is about 5 miles or 8km. It varies with your height and stride length.

How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?

For a 70kg adult walking briskly, roughly 300 to 450 calories. Heavier people burn more and lighter people burn less.

Will walking 10,000 steps a day help me lose weight?

On its own, usually only a little. Walking works best for weight alongside eating changes, and it helps you keep weight off. It also improves blood pressure and blood sugar even if your weight doesn’t change.

Do steps around the house count?

Yes. All steps count towards your daily total. Brisk steps, where you can talk but not sing, also count towards the NHS target of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week.

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