In 1965, a Japanese company released a pedometer and gave it a catchy name that translated to “10,000-step meter.”

That’s it. That’s the origin.

The number came from a product launch — not your physiology.

For sixty years, you’ve been measuring yourself against a slogan.

Here’s what research increasingly suggests instead: the benefits start stacking up well before 10,000 — for a lot of people, somewhere around 7,000 steps a day.