In the mid-1960s, a Japanese company, Yamasa Tokei, invented a simple, inexpensive pedometer that measures how many steps you take. The company decided to call the gadget Manpo-kei, which means “ten-thousand-step meter,” because it sounded auspicious and catchy. And it was. The pedometer sold like hotcakes, and ten thousand steps has since been adopted worldwide as a benchmark for minimal daily physical activity.
