Popular culture has us thinking that 10,000 steps a day are the optimal number for staying healthy. This idea has spread through the media and been perpetuated by devices such as the Fitbit. However, research is finding that 10,000 daily steps is an arbitrary figure that has been based on poorly designed research studies, writes The Guardian.
The idea that 10,000 steps are an ideal daily objective began in Japan in the mid-60s. The Japanese marketing campaign was designed to capitalize on the Tokyo Olympics. The company Yamasa created the first wearable step counting device that was called manpo-kei, or the 10,000-step meter. However, this number was not based on any real evidence, reported Professor David Bassett, head of kinesiology, recreation, and sport studies at the University of Tennessee.
“There wasn’t really any evidence for it at the time. They just felt that was a number that was indicative of an active lifestyle and should be healthy.”
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