No, you don’t need 10,000 steps in a day. Shorter walks still help you live longer.

For as long as we can remember, people have said taking 10,000 steps a day will keep you healthier.

The secret of that 10,000-step claim was revealed in the past decade, when enterprising reporters discovered that it was the product of a Japanese pedometer company’s marketing efforts, and not based on any scientific study.

Despite that, many of us kept trudging, on the assumption that diligently walking 10,000 steps – about five miles – will help prevent age-related conditions like cardiovascular disease and stroke.

New research – including studies published in The Lancet and JAMA Network Open – confirms the benefits of walking, but suggests those daily strolls can be a lot shorter and even more leisurely.

One study, a meta-analysis of 15 studies involving nearly 50,000 people from four continents, found that the risk of premature death for adults over 59 years old levels off if they walk between 6,000 and 8,000 steps per day, about three to four miles. Adults younger than 60 saw the risk of premature death stabilize at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.

Most striking, researchers found no significant health benefit associated with walking speed. Ultimately, they found the benefit seemed to be connected to the specific distance walked – or number of steps – and not to the briskness of the walker’s pace.

The second study found that walking at least 7,000 steps a day reduced middle-aged people’s risk of premature death.

But, if you’ve gotten into the habit of taking those 10,000 steps daily, the studies suggest it can still pay off. Researchers grouped the nearly 50,000 participants in the 15 studies into four groups, based on their average steps per day. The lowest step group averaged 3,500 steps; the second, 5,800; the third, 7,800; and the fourth, 10,900 steps per day.

The risk of death was up to 53% lower among the three more active groups who walked more each day, than the group that took fewer steps.

“The major takeaway is there’s a lot of evidence suggesting that moving even a little more is beneficial, particularly for those who are doing very little activity,” said Amanda Paluch, a University of Massachusetts physical activity epidemiologist who led the research. “More steps per day are better for your health. And the benefit in terms of mortality risk levels off around 6,000 to 8,000 for older adults and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults.”