How many steps do you walk each day? In 2017, I wrote a column about the discovery that, on average, I covered 3,000 steps a day. I had assumed that the simple act of life in the metropolis of London fried the calories away. Sadly, this proved not to be so. Thanks to Apple Health, I discovered my activity levels were bordering on zero, and I was on the road to atrophy.

Inspired by the Japanese, who are enthusiastic walkers, I decided to join the league who aim to make 10,000 steps a day. Yes, I know the number was invented as a marketing ploy to sell an early prototype health tracker in the run-up to the 1964 Olympics. But the Japanese are generally considered lithe and healthy, and its ministry of health still advises citizens to take between 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. As an extremely goal-oriented person, I like this kind of challenge: an uncomplicated number, and a test that I could either pass or fail.

Reader, nearly eight years later, you’ll be thrilled to know I smashed it. My current stats inform me that I’ve walked an average of 10,518 daily steps in the past year. This should help ward off the onset of type 2 diabetes and dementia, according to numerous studies in the field. The only substantial differences I’ve noticed, however, are that I’m now a walking A-Z of London, have largely stopped driving, and almost never wear a heel.