| Counting steps is the main way many people track their daily activity — or lack of it. Many Americans spend nine-plus hours sitting every day and could probably stand to take a few more steps. But how many daily steps do you need to improve your health? New research, published in The Lancet Public Health, suggests 7,000 is a good target, and the more you move, the less likely you are to die from cardiovascular disease and other ailments. However, the evidence doesn’t discount the value of getting more than that many steps per day. Here’s what else the research found:
🚶♀️ The widely cited target of 10,000 steps is not rooted in solid science; instead, it was popularized by a Japanese promotional campaign.
🚶♀️ The study found that taking 7,000 steps a day reduced the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes by 14%, cardiovascular disease by 25%, symptoms of depression by 22% and dementia by 38%.
🚶♀️ The study was unable to draw any definitive conclusions about whether the speed you take your steps makes a difference. There are various ways to measure intensity and observed distinctions could simply reflect better overall fitness and physical function. | 
