The Simplicity of 10,000 Steps—Apr. 20

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

April 20, 2025

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 31: The Simplicity of 10,000 Steps

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

Our focus this week is on staying active every day. As Lao-Tzu said many centuries ago, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I’ll take liberties and modify his profound quote: “The journey to well-being begins with a single step.”

The Simplicity of 10,000 Steps

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Counting steps is a popular approach to ensuring you stay active. Gotta get my 10,000 steps in! How many times have you heard something like that? You see people on a virtual team meeting bouncing up and down as they walk on a treadmill, or constantly checking their devices to see how many steps they’ve recorded for the day. They’re participating in one of the best examples of gamification on the planet—counting the number of steps you take on an app as you march toward your daily step target.

What It Means

The concept of counting 10,000 steps per day originated from a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer, and it became the conventional wisdom exercise target for healthy living. However, a recent cohort study published in 2021 determined that people who took just 7,000 steps or more per day had a 50% to 70% lower mortality risk than those who took fewer than 7,000 steps.

So, should you target 7,000 steps a day? That’s a healthy intention. You may also consider increasing your daily step target to achieve other benefits, such as weight loss or weight maintenance.

I like the concept of counting steps. It promotes being active throughout the day. Many smartphones and apps can count the steps for you, so tracking is easy as you move about, and their gamification features can be motivating. Soon, you’ll park farther away from a store to get more steps in. You’ll take the stairs instead of an elevator. You’ll find creative ways to keep your steps streak alive.

Your Call to Action

Be active each day. Make it a habit. Do you want to incorporate a thirty-minute walk into your daily routine? If that’s too much, start at five minutes and build up over time. Soon, you’ll look forward to the peaceful ritual. Your physical fitness and energy levels will improve. You’ll boost your mental health (fresh air, nature, sunshine, and physical activity are nourishment to your mental well-being). Consider sharing the walking routine with your family or friends.

Have an active week!