Weeks Pregnant Saw Her Daily Step Count Jump From an Average of 3,500 to 10,000 Without Trying, Often Hitting 15,000 to 20,000 Steps

She stopped tracking steps entirely after realizing the 10,000-step goal stems from a 1965 Japanese marketing campaign for the Manpo-kei pedometer, not science. Research, including a 2019 study of women with a median age of 72, found benefits at 4,400 steps daily, and a 2025 analysis linked 5,000 to 7,000 steps to reduced chronic disease risk. Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman said no single step count fits everyone, and psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert of New York noted that tracking can become self-surveillance, turning walking into a burden.

The author now enjoys walking in Florence without checking her phone, finding it calming and meditative. 10,000 steps meter.