Whenever a discussion sparks up about how many steps you have taken on a particular day, 10,000 is the number always referred to as the goal or a benchmark. Your smartwatch starts throwing out confetti and gives you all sorts of animation when you reach that mark. Even within the Fitze app, almost all our challenges push you to hit that 10,000 step count, and when you do we send you a notification congratulating you for your efforts. But have you wondered why is it always that particular number?

Numerous health organizations like the World Health Organisation, the American Heart Foundation, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and Australia’s National Heart Foundation all recommend 10,000 steps to be taken on a daily basis. The best part about this ‘’Magical Number’’ is that it's achievable for most individuals within an hour and does not tend to strain your muscles and joints as opposed to the other traditional exercises.

This step goal is not just a marketing tool because it’s easy to remember, although the 10k step count was heavily marketed right before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics by a local company selling pedometers which struck a chord and just stuck with everyone since then. There was also a research team around the same time led by Dr. Yoshiro Hatano, which proved the numerous health benefits associated with that ‘’Magical Number’’ and he concluded by stating that a daily 10k steps mark can help burn around 20% of an individual’s calorie intake.

Apart from the obvious calorie burn there a number of health benefits associated by hitting that glorified steps mark and according to the Heart Foundation 10k steps a day can:

• Give an energy boost
• Relax and clear your mind
• Give you a sense of achievement and satisfaction
• Give you improved confidence and mood
• Manage your weight
• Build stronger bones and muscles
• Reduce the risk of heart attack

So in case, you were having trouble deciding a particular step goal to have? 10,000 would not be a bad place to start. Track your total steps count on Fitze and get rewarded for the steps you take!

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