You’ve probably heard the popular recommendation to walk 10,000 steps daily to stay healthy. 

While it’s good to set exercise goals, Dr. Harvey Hahn, a cardiologist, says not to stress about reaching 10,000 steps. 

Tracking your exercise 

While recent studies have shown that walking 10,000 steps—about five to six miles—a day is beneficial for our health, the idea originated from a 1960s marketing campaign for a Japanese-made pedometer named Manpo-Kei, with “Manpo” translating to “10,000 steps.” 

If walking five to six miles a day sounds nearly impossible, don’t worry. According to Dr. Hahn, walking at least 3,000 steps daily (about 1.5 miles) will still grant you health benefits, such as,

• Reduced cholesterol levels 
• Improved regulated blood pressure 
• Lower risk for diabetes and heart disease
• Lower baseline stress levels

He also points out that the health benefits of walking cap at about 8,000 steps (four miles). 

“Your physical ability will increase [with more steps],” he says. “But your impact on mortality won’t change much more.” 

Tracking your steps is a great way to ensure you stay active, but it can be difficult without the proper technology. Dr. Hahn recommends focusing, instead, on the length of your workouts. 

“The sweet spot for exercise is typically 45 minutes, four to five times a week,” he says. “When you do that, your chance of dying early really starts dropping.” 

No matter how you measure your workouts, remember that consistency is key. 

Staying consistent 

Even if you don’t have the time or physical ability to exercise five days a week, stay consistent with the workouts you can do. 

“If you have a great workout once every six months,” Dr. Hahn explains, “it’s not going to help you. But if you have two or three consistent workouts every week for the next ten years, you’re going to see a big difference.” 

Dr. Hahn shares that the best way to work out is to play. Join a local sports league or make weekly plans to play basketball with a friend to make working out fun and keep you accountable. Another way to stay motivated is to set a goal, such as running a 5K. Setting a goal gives your exercise a purpose, meaning you’re likelier to stick with it. 

And if you become unmotivated or overwhelmed, take it one day at a time. 

“You’re not in competition with anybody,” Dr. Hahn says. “You’re just in competition with who you were yesterday.” 

If you have questions about how much exercise is right for you, a primary care provider can help.