Fitness expert hits back at 'myth of 10,000 steps' a day

Fitness expert shuts down ‘made up myth’ that getting 10,000 steps a day will keep you in shape – insisting that doing a simple 10-MINUTE routine is the best way to lose weight

  • Andrea Marcellus, 51, from Los Angeles, specializes in ‘fitness for busy people’
  • She recently explained why you shouldn’t stress about getting 10,000 steps
  • READ MORE: Do you REALLY need to get 10,000 steps a day? 

A fitness expert has lifted the lid on the ‘myth of 10,000 steps’ a day, saying you’d be better off doing 10 minutes of resistance training to lose fat. 

Andrea Marcellus, 51, from Los Angeles, is a health coach who specializes in ‘fitness for busy people.’ She has more than 100,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares her weight loss tips. 

In a recent video, she argued that doing ‘resistance work for 10 minutes is better than [walking] 10,000 steps in 10 hours.’

‘Have you been stressing about getting your 10,000 steps in every day?’ she asked, insisting that it is not a fitness goal you should be worried about reaching.  

Andrea Marcellus, 51, from Los Angeles, shared why you shouldn’t stress about getting 10,000 steps a day in a recent TikTok video 

The health coach, who specializes in ‘fitness for busy people,’ has more than 100,000 followers on the platform, where she shares her weight loss tips

‘Here’s the thing about the 10,000 steps. It’s not really the best use of your time, and it’s totally made up.’ 

Marcellus explained how the concept originated in Japan in 1965, when the company Yamasa released a pedometer called ‘manpo-kee,’ which translates to ‘10,000 steps meter.’

The arbitrary figure was never grounded in science, but today’s fitness trackers are set to a default goal of 10,000 steps, approximately five miles, even though that number may be overkill. 

The Harvard Medical School found that, on average, taking 4,400 steps per day is enough to significantly lower the risk of death in women as compared to only taking 2,700 steps daily.

‘It takes a long time to get in your 10,000 steps,’ Marcellus explained. ‘Getting in a 10-minute resistance workout plus standing more throughout the day is gonna do way more for you than just getting in 10,000 steps. 

‘To lose weight, particularly belly fat that really bothers people, you really, really need to build lean muscle tissue,’ she continued. 

‘Even just 10 minutes a day of strength training or resistance work…is gonna have a bigger impact on your overall health plus fat loss than just walking alone.’

Marcellus clarified that people should still be walking as much as they can, but it shouldn’t be their main focus when it comes to fitness. 

Absolutely avtivate your life with standing and walking, but to get to your goals nothing beats: 1.) getting your food in gear 2.) resistance work every day – even just a little bit What kinds of resistance workouts do you like the most: weights, bodyweight, machines at the gym or like a reformer, or accessories like bands, balls, ankle weights, etc. #10000stepsaday #resistanceworkouts #fitnesstips #fitnessmyths #perimenopause #menopause #busymoms #fitover50


Marcellus argued that doing ‘resistance work for 10 minutes is better than [walking] 10,000 steps in 10 hours’ 

‘Yes, we want you walking around, but please don’t confuse that with the kind of activity that’s really gonna move the needle for you if you’re trying to lose fat,’ she said 

Marcellus’s video has been viewed more than 85,000 times and struck a chord with commenters who have been struggling to hit 10,000 steps a day

‘In my world, with my clients, I talk about life activation. That is just general standing, just trying to stand more. A standing desk can save your life,’ she said. 

‘Yes, we want you walking around, but please don’t confuse that with the kind of activity that’s really gonna move the needle for you if you’re trying to lose fat. 

‘Bottom line, walk as much as you can, stand as much as you can in a day, and definitely try to get in 20 minutes of exercise and make 10 minutes of that resistance [training] of some sort,’ she concluded. 

Marcellus’s video has been viewed more than 85,000 times and struck a chord with commenters who have been struggling to hit 10,000 steps a day. 

‘Love this — 10,000 steps takes way too much time for most people, me included! one person wrote. 

‘This seems much more manageable than 99% of the advice that’s on this app,’ someone else added. 

‘LOVE having freedom of the 10k steps obsession that never really did much for me anyway,’ another shared. 

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