Overview

• Trainer Eugene Teo’s TikTok and YouTube videos have propelled the 2007 Japanese interval-walking protocol into the spotlight with claims of tenfold gains over 10,000 daily steps.
• Specialists highlight that the original study’s 246 older participants and selective accelerometer monitoring limit its ability to prove the interval method’s superiority over continuous brisk walking.
• A Vanderbilt cohort of nearly 80,000 adults found that 15 minutes of brisk walking daily cuts all-cause mortality by about 20%, while UK Biobank data link faster walking speeds to lower arrhythmia incidence.
• Further analyses challenge the 10,000-step benchmark by showing health benefits plateau around 7,000 daily steps and can be achieved through brief, higher-intensity walking bouts.
• Public-health guidance now emphasizes 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week or daily 15- to 30-minute brisk walks, with inactive individuals advised to start with shorter intervals and build gradually.