Full transparency: if you read our last report on the ideal number of steps to rack up per day, you’ll know that the study in question advised 4k. And now we’re throwing another number into the mix? Confusing, we know.

The thing is, researchers acknowledge that while there is a clear correlation between walking more and better health, reverse causality may be at play: healthier people may manage to stay more active and hit more steps than unfit people. So, the benefits showing that people who do more steps within each day are healthier may not necessarily be a result of the walking itself, but of their healthier lifestyles.

It’s also worth noting that other research recommends taking shorter walks at several times throughout each day, as opposed to taking a single, longer walk. The type of walk you do, and your body type will also influence how much a walk benefits you. You may walk faster than others, on a different type of terrain, and/or have more muscle than others.

The bottom line is that there’s no use in holding yourself to these numbers when it comes to steps – but it is worth knowing that 10k certainly isn’t the golden number. Find a realistic and sustainable step count that makes you feel good – and do that.

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Bridie is Fitness Director at Women’s Health UK. She spends her days sweating over new workouts, fitness launches and the best home gym kit so you have all that you need to get fit done. Her work has been published in Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and more. She’s also a part-time yoga teacher with a habit of nodding off mid savasana (not when she’s teaching, promise).