Forget 10,000 steps a day. Modern sports science and evolutionary biology now tell us how much exercise the human body really needs

The optimum amount of exercise you should get each day is equivalent to  around 15,000 (taken at a brisk walk or faster). Steps that fall below this “moderate-and-vigourous” activity level will count for less. Here’s a rough guide to how that stacks up;

STEPS (moderate-and-vigorous)

• 50: Climbing 4 flights of stairs
• 150: Running the length of a football pitch 
• 1250: 1KM of brisk walking 
• 1500: Approx daily average for US and UK adults
• 3000: Approximate equivalent to 10,000 steps on a fitness tracker 
• 7500: 1 hour of cycling running or dancing 
• 15,000: Daily round of a postal worker in Glasgow (see below)
• 19,000: UK recommended weekly target for adults
• 200,000+: Ultra marathon

2 hours exercise each day might seem like a lot to some of us but people who manage it do get huge benefits. A study of postal workers in Glasgow found that those who clocked more than 15,000 steps a day, carrying the mail, which equates to about 2 hours of brisk walking, had cardio-metabolic health on par with hunter-gatherers- and this is in a city with the lowest life expectance in the country. Research also showed that adults who are active for more than 100minutes per day had the lowest mortality rates; 80% lower than the couch potatoes.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24232340-300-how-many-steps-a-day-do-you-really-need-spoiler-it-isnt-10000/