How Many Steps Do You Really Need for Health and Weight Loss with Amanda Paluch

For decades, one number has ruled the world of fitness: 10,000 steps. It's on your watch, your phone, maybe even tattooed into your daily to-do list. But what if that number was never based on science at all?Join Holly and Jim as they sit down with Dr. Amanda Paluch, Associate Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and leader of the Steps for Health Collaborative, an international research consortium pooling data from over 125,000 adults to answer one deceptively simple question: how many steps do you actually need? Amanda pulls back the curtain on where the 10,000-step goal really came from, what the data shows instead, and why the "right" number might depend on how old you are. Whether you're chasing a step count, recovering from mobility limitations, or navigating GLP-1 medications, this conversation will change the way you think about your daily walk.Discussed in the episode:The surprising 1960s marketing origin of the 10,000-step goal (hint: it has nothing to do with health research)Why the "right" step goal may look different depending on your ageThe step range where most of the cardiovascular benefit shows up (it's lower than you'd think)Whether walking pace matters as much as total volumeHow do steps fit into the GLP-1 conversation?What the research says about step counting becoming an unhealthy obsessionPractical advice for people with mobility limitations who feel like step goals are out of reachRapid-fire answers on walking vs. running, treadmill vs. outdoor steps, and moreA simple mindset shift for anyone having a "low step day"