Walking 10,000 steps a day is a wellness essential, right? Whether from the messaging on social media or the advertising of fitness brands, most of us have wholeheartedly come to believe that walking a minimum of 10,000 steps a day is a science-backed wellness requirement.

In an effort to add more activity to my daily routine, I have been following the 10,000 steps “rule” for months. It’s definitely helped shift my otherwise sedentary lifestyle, the kind that those of us who spend our days sitting at a computer also unwittingly follow. The body needs to move—and walking has become my own little act of self-care.

But should we really set our sights on the figure of 10,000 steps? To find out the benefits—and potential pitfalls—I spoke to health experts.

Do you have to walk 10,000 steps a day?

“It has no scientific basis,” says Jesús Serrano, a physiotherapist at the Improve Clinic in Madrid. “This belief comes from the launch of a Japanese pedometer many years ago.” He’s referring to a 1965 advertising campaign for a device called the Manpo-kei—which is Japanese for “10,000 step meter”—that “encouraged people to lead an active life and, at least, to take 10,000 steps a day,” says Serrano.

Evidently, it was quite the sticky advertising campaign; the message has stuck around even to the present day. But is the number correct? Apparently, no: “It is far below what we should be moving,” says Serrano. “Walking 10,000 steps a day should be the minimum baseline for everyone. We encourage meeting that figure and, in addition, doing a workout.”

The importance of walking—and not becoming obsessed with it

Regardless of whether the myth has scientific basis to fall back on, it does act as a kind of challenge for anyone who aims to move more in their day-to-day lives. “Human beings are made for movement,” says Serrano. “We live in a time in which everything is very comfortable and is just a click away, but in the end we get rusty and grow old because of our sedentary lifestyle.”

After spending eight hours anchored to a chair, it is not surprising that the body might crave some movement anyway. “This figure of 10,000 steps is an invitation for people to have a minimum activity,” explains Serrano. “But each person is different and we must adapt to the lifestyle we have to lead in order to be healthy.”