Step count

Your step count is the simplest way to make everyday activity visible: every step counts, whether it's to school, to the bakery or around the flat. Most mobile phones and fitness trackers count automatically.

The famous 10,000 steps don't come from research but from a Japanese pedometer from 1965. Its name, “Manpo-kei”, means “10,000-step meter” – a marketing idea that's still around today. Studies now paint a friendlier picture: in a large analysis in the journal Lancet Public Health (Paluch et al., 2022), the risk of death fell with every additional step until the benefit levelled off at around 6,000 to 8,000 steps (for over-60s) or 8,000 to 10,000 steps (for younger people).

To convert: an adult's step is about 70 centimetres long, so 10,000 steps are around 7 kilometres. When walking, you burn roughly 30 to 50 kilocalories per 1,000 steps depending on your weight – so 8,000 steps quickly add up to 300 kilocalories.

For children, the step count is more of a game than a goal: they naturally move in short, wild bursts and on a normal day often reach 12,000 steps or more. More important than any number is making sure that running around, cycling and the playground aren't pushed aside by screen time.

A good start for the whole family: just observe for a week, then raise the average by 1,000 steps a day – for example with an evening walk. Small, fixed rituals last longer than big resolutions.