I don’t know about you, but I have ingrained in my brain the idea that taking 10,000 steps per day is the mark of an active lifestyle—which means it’s often pretty depressing to check the step tracker on my phone after an average day of writing while seated at my desk.

At least, it was depressing until I read the conclusion of a new research review, which found 4,000 steps per day is enough to significantly reduce your risk of premature death. Walking more is better, the researchers found, but even relatively small amounts of movement seem to measurably benefit health and longevity.

That may sound too good to be true for 10,000-step devotees, but a number of recent studies have reached similar findings. Exercise, it seems, is a powerful tool for improving health, even in encouragingly small doses.

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