And it also was never all or nothing. I keep my goal at 6000 just because 10k (i didn't know about 8700) isn't realistic for me. It's still better than what I would walk normally.
Don't be intimidated though. If you're not regularly exercising, start with a smaller goal And increase at a rate you're comfortable with. Walking is a great activity and is great for your body and easier on your knees than running.
What I appreciate about my Garmin is that it adjusts my step goals up and down to make them achievable. Miss my goal for the day? The next day is a few steps less. Hit my goal? The next is a few steps more. I get the satisfaction of reaching goals, but don't feel bad about myself if I miss.
It's just for office days because I do a lot of computer time. I dont pay attention otherwise and have a different watch I wear for my normal outdoor activities. It's three times thicker and has no space left for health-related sensors or a pedometer. But if this one approximates just 1km is 1,000 steps, I'm doubling down on not needing to care about steps outside of office days.
Yeah, normal step lengths are around 60 - 80 cm depending on height and pace
EDIT: obviously injured/elderly people are much lower, and running is much higher, which might explain the distance if OP's watch thought he was running