Regular walking produces many health benefits, including reducing our risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.

日常散步对健康有很多好处，包括降低得心脏病、II型糖尿病和抑郁症的风险。

Best of all, it's free, we can do it anywhere and, for most of us, it's relatively easy to fit into our daily routines.

最棒的是，散步是免费的，在哪里都能做，而且对大多数人来说，在日常活动中加上散步很容易做到。

We often hear 10,000 as the golden number of steps to strive for in a day. But do we really need to take 10,000 steps a day?

我们常听到说每天一万步是最佳数量。但是我们每天真的需要走到一万步吗?

Not necessarily. This figure was originally popularized as part of a marketing campaign, and has been subject to some criticism. But if it gets you walking more, it might be a good goal to work towards.

不用。这个数字最初是作为营销的一部分火起来的，已经受到了很多的质疑。但是如果这能激励你走得更多的话，一万步不失为一个很好的目标。

Where did 10,000 come from?

但1万这个数字到底是怎么来的?

The 10,000 steps concept was initially formulated in Japan in the lead-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. There was no real evidence to support this target. Rather, it was a marketing strategy to sell step counters.

一万步这个概念最初萌芽于1964年日本东京奥运会的准备期间。没有任何可靠证据可以支撑这个数字。它更像是销售计步器的营销手段。

There was very little interest in the idea until the turn of the century, when the concept was revisited by Australian health promotion researchers in 2001 to encourage people to be more active.

到了二十一世纪，这个理念才有了些价值，澳大利亚健康促进研究人员在2001年再次启用这个概念，鼓励人们加强锻炼。

Based on accumulated evidence, many physical activity guidelines around the world – including the Australian guidelines – recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week. This equates to 30 minutes on most days. A half hour of activity corresponds to about 3,000 to 4,000 dedicated steps at a moderate pace.

基于越来越多的证据，世界上许多——包括澳大利亚的运动指南里——建议每周至少保证150分钟的中等强度的运动量。这差不多相当于保证每天30分钟的运动量。而半个小时的中等强度运动量相当于每天3000到4000左右的正常步数。

In Australia, the average adult accumulates about 7,400 steps a day. So an additional 3,000 to 4,000 steps through dedicated walking will get you to the 10,000 steps target.

在澳大利亚，成年人平均每天走7400步左右。所以要达到一万的目标，还得多走个大概3000到4000步。