CNN shares new health information in “Is walking 10,000 steps every day really necessary?” In this article, a new study shows that 10,000 steps a day do not equal perfect health. In fact, the name of a pedometer possibly gave us that number. A recent study shows that as little as 4,000 steps a day could greatly benefit health. The study also showed no significant improvement of health over 7,500 daily steps.
Does this mean we can stop walking almost five miles a day? Probably not. In another study CNN talks about, women that walk less than 5,000 steps a day may struggle to metabolize fat. Those that walk less than 4,000 steps a day may not be able to reverse that fat build-up. It looks like to get the best benefits we need to try and walk a minimum of 5,000 steps each day.
It all depends on your goals. According to a study done in Australia, 5k steps is considered lightly active. You need at least 8k to be considered moderately active, and 10k is considered an active lifestyle. Less than 5k is considered sedentary, and causes fat deposits to accumulate.
It sounds like CNN is trying to pander to the body positivity crowd more than actually take care of your health.