Episode 37Feb 6, 2026· 8:17

The 10,000 Steps Scam: How a Marketing Campaign Became Fitness "Fact"

▸ Show notes from the creator

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About this episode

This episode covers the origins of the 10,000 steps per day myth, traced by Dr. Melissa McDowell to a 1960s Japanese pedometer marketing campaign following the Tokyo Olympics rather than any scientific basis. Dr. McDowell shares current step recommendations (7,500 for over-60s, 8,500 for under-60s) and ACSM guidelines for cardiovascular and strength training. Host Ashley Grant reflects on fitness misinformation,…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've been quietly failing to hit 10,000 steps every day and carrying a low-level guilt about it, like you're not doing enough.

You've started to wonder how much of the fitness advice you've absorbed over the years was actually just marketing dressed up as health science.

You've been stuck inside for days — sick, snowed in, or otherwise disrupted — and you're itching to get back to the routine that keeps you feeling like yourself.

You work out alone and it feels fine, but you've noticed you push harder and feel more alive when other people are around suffering with you.

You've been sold something in the wellness space — a supplement, a program, a number to hit — and it turned out to be hype, and now you're more skeptical but not sure what to trust instead.

Questions this episode wrestles with

How do I know if fitness advice I've been following is real or just marketing?

answered

Dr. McDowell points out that 10,000 steps was never based on science — it came from a 1960s Japanese pedometer marketing campaign — and Ashley says hearing that made her want to "go back and pay better attention to everything that's being said to me and look at it through a different lens."

"is a leftover from a 1960s Japanese pedometer marketing campaign? Following the 1960s Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, fitness craze was spanning the country. A pedometer was introduced as a way to keep track of your daily steps. The pedometers that were developed in the 1960s only could go up to 10 ,000 steps, and so they were named as such, creating that 10 ,000 step a day myth."

Is most of what we're told about exercise actually backed by science?

open question

Ashley doesn't answer this directly — instead she sits with the discomfort of it, connecting the 10,000 steps myth to other advice she's been fed like protein powder and dieting rules, and wondering aloud "how true is everything that we're hearing, everything that we're being told."

"pretty good to know. And it makes me question, honestly, every bit of advice that I'm given on a regular basis. Like, I mean, for a while, whenever I was first starting to look into, you know, how to finally get in shape and finally get healthy, the thing that was being crammed on my throat was protein powder. I know I've"

When does working out more stop being healthy and start being too much?

open question

Ashley names the tension without resolving it — she admits she's working out 10 to 16 hours a week and knows she's going overboard, while the episode simultaneously argues the 10,000 step target is already higher than science recommends, leaving "how much is enough" genuinely open.

"hurting yourself? Who knows? I mean, I do know that myself, personally, I've been working out between 10 and 16 hours a week at this point. And there are times that, yeah, I am going overboard. And I know that. I fully admit that. And even"

Does it matter where a fitness rule came from if it actually gets results?

open question

Ashley raises the uncomfortable tension but doesn't land on an answer — she acknowledges that 10,000 steps might help you lose weight even though the number was invented for a marketing campaign, but then immediately asks whether it could also be overkill or even harmful.

"the wrong information. actually does work. Because the truth is, if you're working out and doing those 10 ,000 steps a day, yes, you might lose weight. But could it be overkill? Could you be doing too much on your joints? Could you be actually"

Setting expectations: This episode is not a deep-dive fitness science explainer or a structured guide to optimizing your step count. It's a short episode where Ashley plays a voice note from Dr. Melissa McDowell debunking the 10,000 steps target, then reflects on how hearing that made her question other fitness advice she's been given over the years.

Tensions inside this episode

Moments where Famous Ashley Grant names something — and contradicts it inside the same episode. Both quotes are verbatim from the transcript.

Skeptic of unverified fitness advice

Ashley urges listeners not to take fitness advice at face value, while simultaneously admitting she's working out 10–16 hours a week and knows she's overdoing it.

Claim

"are just taking everything that's said to us at face value, we might be getting the wrong"

but

Contradiction

"hurting yourself? Who knows? I mean, I do know that myself, personally, I've been working out between 10 and 16 hours a week at this point. And there are times that, yeah, I am going overboard. And I know that. I fully admit that. And even"

Tone & style

Ashley starts with the assumption that 10,000 steps is a legitimate fitness target, hears Dr. McDowell's voice note revealing it was a marketing artifact, and connects it to other fitness misinformation she's encountered — like protein powder hype. She resolves to scrutinize advice more carefully, then closes on a high note: finally getting back to the gym after 11 days snowed in, reaffirming that in-person group workouts are where she actually wants to be.

Dr. McDowell cites ACSM guidelines and specific step targets; Ashley's framing is personal reflection and lived experience. The specific numbers are from established guidelines, but the episode is not a clinical consultation.

toneCandid & curious

focusAshley shares her relief at learning the 10,000 steps target came from a 1960s Japanese pedometer marketing campaign, not science — and uses it as a jumping-off point to question how much fitness advice is actually just marketing.

stylepersonal_confession

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Texturerelieved, skeptical, enthusiastic

Notable quotes

"health. Did you know that 10 ,000 steps a day is a leftover from a 1960s Japanese pedometer marketing campaign? Following the 1960s Olympics"

— Dr. Melissa McDowell

"company. It was never based on science. And today's"

— Dr. Melissa McDowell

"told? And so just hearing a doctor tell me that, hey, what you've been hearing was actually part of a marketing campaign. It really makes me want to go back and pay better attention to everything that's being said to me and look at it through a different lens. Because the truth is, if we"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"information. Here's the problem, though. Sometimes the wrong information. actually does work. Because the truth is, if you're working out and doing those 10 ,000 steps a day, yes, you might lose weight. But could it be overkill? Could you be doing too much on your joints? Could you be actually"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"out at the gym more often because that is just that's my favorite place. It is my therapy. It is my church. It is. It is medicine. And I freaking"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 4 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:001. Intro and Dr. McDowell's Voice Note on the 10,000 Steps MythAshley introduces the episode and plays a voice note from Dr. Melissa McDowell, who explains that the 10,000 steps daily target originated from a 1960s Japanese pedometer marketing campaign — not science — and shares what current research actually recommends (7,500–8,500 steps depending on age).2:322. Ashley's Reaction: Questioning Fitness Advice at Face ValueAshley reflects on how relieving it was to hear the 10,000 steps target is a myth, connects it to other fitness misinformation she's encountered (like protein powder hype), and wonders aloud how much common fitness advice is actually marketing rather than fact.5:053. Getting Back to the Gym After 11 Days Snowed InAshley shares her excitement about finally returning to in-person group workouts after being locked in her apartment for 11 days due to winter weather, describing the gym as her therapy, church, and medicine.7:004. Outro and Plans for More Expert Voice NotesAshley wraps up by explaining her plan to feature more expert voice notes on the podcast — specifically from people who aren't selling supplements — and invites listeners to share feedback on the format.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personDr. Melissa McDowell

Doctor and fitness expert who sent Ashley a voice note debunking the 10,000 steps myth and sharing science-based step recommendations; her social handle is DrMelissaMcDowellDPT.

organizationAmerican College of Sports Medicine

Organization whose guidelines Dr. McDowell cites — 150 minutes of cardio per week and two days of strength training — as the actual science-based recommendations adults should follow.

placeRichmond, Kentucky

Where Ashley lives — she mentions it in the context of being snowed in for 11 days and dealing with icy conditions outside her apartment.

placeTokyo, Japan

Site of the 1960s Olympics that sparked a fitness craze in Japan, leading to the creation of the pedometer and the 10,000 steps marketing campaign.

Key themes

10,000 steps as a marketing myth

Dr. McDowell explains that the 10,000 steps target came from a 1960s Japanese pedometer brand's naming convention, not from any scientific research.

what the actual step numbers are

Dr. McDowell gives age-specific step targets — 7,500 for over-60s, 8,500 for under-60s — as the science-backed range for reducing all-cause mortality risk.

ACSM guidelines beyond just steps

Dr. McDowell points out that the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of cardio per week plus two days of strength training, suggesting people redirect time saved from chasing 10,000 steps into strength work.

questioning fitness advice at face value

Ashley reflects on how learning the 10,000 steps target was a marketing hangover makes her want to scrutinize all the fitness messaging she's been handed, including protein powder hype she's discussed before.

wrong information that still kind of works

Ashley notes the uncomfortable reality that even bad fitness advice can produce results — doing 10,000 steps might help you lose weight — but wonders whether it could also be overkill or damaging to joints.

Ashley's own overtraining

Ashley admits she's currently working out 10 to 16 hours a week and knows she's going overboard, while also saying she's managing it with active recovery days.

group fitness as the thing that makes it click

After 11 days snowed in, Ashley returns to in-person group workouts and describes them as where 'the magic happens' — the environment where she works hardest and loves it most.

the gym as therapy and medicine

Ashley describes the gym in personal, almost devotional terms — 'my therapy, my church, my medicine' — after finally getting back there following an 11-day weather lockdown.

bringing in expert voices who aren't selling anything

Ashley explains her reason for featuring voice notes from experts: she specifically wants people who aren't peddling supplements, pills, or protein powder.

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