It turns out that the need to get 10,000 steps a day, as our Fitbits suggest, isn't as rooted in health as it is in marketing. The 10,000 step count "myth," started after the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and was used to sell a pedometer.
Health experts say that, sure, walking is terrific exercise, especially for weight loss, as well as mental clarity and it spur creativity. But 10,000 steps? Research finds that even 4,500 steps per day in older women reduced premature death. Researchers found that health benefits cap out at about 7,500 steps per day. Basically, you're helping prevent premature death by getting those 7,500 steps in per day, so you don't need to work harder to get those last 2,500 steps.
However, if you are walking to lose weight, the more steps you take, the more calories you will burn and, if combined with a good nutrition plan, the more you walk, the more you will lose.