10,000 Steps a Day: Marketing Over Science
The Origin of the 10,000-Step Goal Many people consider walking 10,000 steps a day as the ultimate health target. This number has become a common benchmark for physical activity, with many individuals fixating on reaching this figure. However, the idea that 9,600 steps are insignificant and only 10,000 steps provide real benefits is not based on solid scientific evidence. The origin of the 10,000-step goal can be traced back to Japan. A Japanese watchmaker named Yamasatokey (山佐時計) introduced the first pedometer called ‘Manpokai (万歩計).’ The Japanese character ‘万’ translates to “10,000” and visually resembles a person walking with arms outstretched. This design made it an effective marketing tool, even though the number was chosen for its memorability rather than any scientific reasoning. This arbitrary choice gained global popularity after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was falsely presented as a scientifically backed standard, leading to widespread adoption without critical examination...