Do we really need to take 10,000 steps a day? Sport BTN

Only achieving half of this goal actually brings significant health benefits.

10,000 steps a day. This number is often referred to as a goal to be achieved in order to maintain shape and be healthy. However, this daily goal can be difficult to achieve and lead to frustration when work and other commitments take on us. But where does this supposed magic number come from and is recommended everywhere?

The goal of 10,000 steps per day is due to the launch of a pedometer built by the Japanese company Yamasa Wall Clock, In 1965. The device in question was called «Manpo-kei» , Which can be translated as “10,000 step counter”.

Although it was actually a marketing tool to better sell the pedometer, this 10,000-step idea has proven itself around the world as a daily goal to reach. It is even now pre-programmed as the daily travel distance in some smartwatches like Fitbit.

4400 steps might suffice

Since then, researchers have taken interest in this goal of 10,000 steps per day. Some studies You have It has been shown that walking at least 10,000 steps per day improves cardiovascular and mental health and even reduces the risk of developing diabetes. This may explain, to some extent, why we have adopted this arbitrary number so widely.

In ancient Rome, distances were Counting steps are measured . Moreover, the word “thousand”, the imperial system’s unit of measure, is derived from the Latin expression a thousand a step, Means 1000 steps .

The average person does About 100 steps per minute Which means that it takes just under 30 minutes to cover a mile (or 1.6 km). Thus, to reach the goal of 10,000 steps, one would have to walk between four and five miles per day (equivalent to 6 to 8 kilometers), which is roughly two hours of activity.

But while some research has shown the health benefits of taking 10,000 steps, Other recent studies From Not Harvard medical The school It showed that 4,400 steps per day were sufficient to significantly improve women’s life expectancy.

150 minutes of effort per week according to the World Health Organization

The Harvard study participants were followed for a little over four years. The death rate among those who took an average of 4,400 steps per day was much lower than the death rate for the less active women, who took about 2,700 daily steps. The mortality rate in the group decreased gradually as the number of steps increased, and stabilized at 7,500 steps per day. No additional benefit was found beyond this figure.

Although it needs to be verified if similar results can be seen in men, this study shows that moving a little more each day can actually improve health and reduce the risk of death.

Target 10,000 steps a day is marketing more than science.

thats good World Health Organization (The World Health Organization) recommends adults get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity (or 75 minutes of strenuous activity), and research shows that even Low-intensity exercises Box Improve health. So steps taken throughout the day can contribute to achieving the WHO goal of 150 minutes of activity per week.

Activity can also help relieve The negative effects of sitting necklace Long periods.

Burn fewer calories

Research You have It showed that people who sit for eight hours or more each day have a 59% increased risk of death compared to those who sit for less than four hours a day.

However, researchers also found that 60 to 75 minutes a day of moderate physical activity negated this increased risk of death. Therefore, getting up and going for a brisk walk is a good way to reduce the negative effects of sitting for long periods of time.

to Recent research to me The University of Texas has also shown that if you take fewer than 5,000 steps per day, your body becomes less efficient at burning calories.

The accumulation of fat in the body can increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and some forms of diabetes. Previous search Have it Sure: People who take fewer than 4,000 steps per day will not be able to reverse this slowdown in their metabolism.

The risk of developing chronic diseases is reduced

Increasing physical activity, such as the number of steps taken, reduces the risk of death through improved health, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as mental illness And the Some Cancers . In some cases, it helps to improve health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes . Exercise can also help us strengthen immune system . However, current research hasn’t shown that taking 10,000 steps per day is necessary to achieve health benefits – half of that is enough.

If you want to increase the number of steps you take each day, start by increasing your current daily step count by about 2,000. You can do this with simple methods such as walking to work or participating in an online activity program if you work from home.

And in these times of pandemic, why not get together with friends for a walk outside, because you can’t meet inside? Since even small amounts of physical activity have a positive effect on health, taking regular breaks for commuting if you work all day at a desk will help increase your level of daily exercise.

* Par Lindsey Bottoms, The reader in Practice And the Health PhysiologyAnd the University Hertfordshire.

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