The magic number shows up on smartwatches, fitness apps and office step challenges. For many, hitting 10,000 steps in a day has become a marker of good health — a goal that prompts post-dinner walks, lunchtime laps around the block and a reason to park a little farther away.
While the target is widely embraced by doctors and their patients, its origins are less scientific than some may expect.
“The whole idea behind the 10,000 steps was actually a marketing campaign for a company in Japan that developed a pedometer,” said David Raichlen, professor of biological sciences and anthropology at USC.
The idea of walking 10,000 steps a day gained popularity in Japan in the 1960s, when a company introduced a pedometer called the Manpo-kei — a name that translates to "10,000 step meter." Released around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the product gave people a numerical goal and helped sell pedometers.
