Do you need to walk 10,000 steps a day?
“ W alking is man ’ s best medicine , ” said Hippocrates , an ancient Greek physician . Or so the story goes . Whether the phrase originated with him is disputed . But it does contain a kernel of truth . Walking is a form of exercise that is free , requires no equipment and is easy for most people to incorporate into their days . But how many steps should one walk — and at what speed — to unlock its benefits ? Conventional wisdom sets 10 , 000 steps per day as a good target . That source of that number , though , is as questionable as Hippocrates ’ quotation . Its origins lie not in a clinical trial , but a Japanese advertising campaign for a pedometer launched ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics (10 , 000 , in Japanese Kanji , also looks a little like a