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Staying active is key to staying healthy, and fitness trackers and smartwatches have become popular tools for tracking activity. But just how many steps does someone need to take each day to lose weight? Experts say there's no one-size-fits-all answer. The number 10,000 is repeated often, but research shows anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 steps per day can still provide health benefits.

While evidence is limited on exactly how many steps a day it takes to lose weight, experts say to get about 150 to 300 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise weekly, said Amanda Paluch, an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology and Institute for Applied Life Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

That's about 22 minutes per day at the low end, and 45 minutes at the high end, Paluch said.

"And we do know that for weight loss and weight maintenance, you really need to get to that higher end," Paluch said.

"We do need to exercise more often at this moderate to vigorous intensity to really see weight loss," Paluch added, but "we really haven't figured out how much that equates to in terms of steps per day."

Even without an exact step count that works for everyone, a fitness tracker or smartwatch can still help people lose weight.

"These types of devices can really help us with tracking and goal-setting," Paluch said.

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