Struggling to hit that 10,000-step goal on your fitness tracker every day? You might be in for some good news. A major new study from the University of Sydney has found that walking just 7,000 steps a day can provide nearly the same significant health benefits as walking 10,000. This groundbreaking research offers a more achievable goal for people who find it challenging to meet traditional exercise targets, making it easier for you to improve your health one step at a time.
Key Takeaways
- A More Attainable Goal: Achieving 7,000 daily steps offers almost the same reduction in risk for early death and dementia as the more daunting 10,000-step goal.
- Significant Health Benefits: Increasing your daily steps helps protect against major health issues like heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and depression.
- Every Step Counts: The study shows that health improvements begin to appear when you increase your daily steps from as low as 2,000 to the 5,000-7,000 range.
- Strong Evidence: The findings are based on the largest review of its kind, analyzing 57 studies from over ten countries, which gives this new recommendation a strong scientific backing.
The Science Behind the Steps
So, where does this new number come from? Researchers led by Professor Melody Ding at the University of Sydney conducted a massive review of 57 different studies published between 2014 and 2025. The data included people from Australia, the USA, the UK, Japan, and more, making it a comprehensive global analysis. The team looked specifically at how increasing daily step counts affected a person’s risk of developing serious health problems, from heart disease to dementia.
What 7,000 Steps Can Do for You
The results were striking. The study found that walking 7,000 steps a day lowered the risk of early death by an incredible 47%, a benefit nearly identical to walking 10,000 steps. When it came to brain health, your risk for dementia was reduced by 38% at 7,000 steps, with only a small additional 7% benefit for pushing on to 10,000 steps. While more steps can still offer advantages—for example, the risk of type 2 diabetes continued to drop at 10,000 and 12,000 steps—the biggest and most significant health gains for most people were seen right around that 7,000-step mark.
Progress, Not Perfection: A New Mindset for Fitness
According to the researchers, this study should encourage a new way of thinking about daily activity. Professor Ding emphasizes that the goal should be “progress, not perfection.” Instead of feeling discouraged by an all-or-nothing 10,000-step goal, you can focus on simply moving more each day. Dr. Katherine Owen, another researcher on the study, notes that while 10,000 steps is a great target for those who are already active, the extra health benefits beyond 7,000 steps are not very large for most people. The most important takeaway is that any increase in your daily movement can lead to real, measurable health gains.
Conclusion
This landmark study effectively recalibrates our daily fitness goals, presenting 7,000 steps as a powerful and scientifically-backed target for improving long-term health. It’s a reminder that you don’t need to aim for perfection to make a profound difference in your well-being. Based on this strong evidence, researchers are already working with governments to help update official exercise guidelines. So, the next time you look at your step count, remember that every step you take is a step toward a healthier life.
Scientific References
- The study is published in The Lancet Public Health. For more information, you can visit the journal’s website: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/home