Walking 7 thousand steps a day can be enough to keep the brain healthy and protect the body from many diseases. This has come to light in a recent research. According to the research, the target of 7 thousand steps is easier and closer to reality than the often mentioned 10 thousand steps. This research published in Lancet Public Health found that walking 7 thousand steps a day reduces the risk of cancer, dementia and serious heart-related diseases. Researchers say that these results can inspire people to count their steps daily and improve their health.
Dr. Melody Ding, who led the research, says, “We have this notion in our mind that it is necessary to walk 10,000 steps every day. But there is no scientific evidence for this.” 10,000 steps is equivalent to about 8 kilometres. This distance can vary from person to person. It depends on the length of the stride, which varies according to height, gender and walking speed. People who walk faster usually take longer strides.
The 10,000-step figure came from a marketing campaign in Japan in the 1960s. Ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a pedometer was launched – ‘Manpo-ke’, which means 10,000 steps. Dr Ding says that this figure was ‘taken out of context’ and became an informal guideline, which many fitness trackers and apps still recommend.
The study, published in The Lancet, analysed health and activity data from more than 1.6 lakh people from around the world. Compared to those who walked 2,000 steps a day, those who walked 7,000 steps a day had a lower risk of the following diseases:
However, the researchers say that some of the figures may be less accurate because they are taken from a limited number of studies. Overall, the research suggests that even walking 4,000 steps a day leads to better health than those who walk only 2,000 steps. For most diseases, the benefits plateau after 7,000 steps, but walking beyond that has additional benefits for heart health.
Most exercise guidelines focus on how long people do physical activity, not how many steps they take. For example, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. Dr Ding says this advice may be hard for many people to understand, but the current guidelines are still important. “Some people swim, cycle or have physical limitations that prevent them from walking much,” she says.
But she believes advice on how many steps people should take each day could be used to encourage them to think about being active in different ways throughout the day. Dr Daniel Bailey, from Brunel University, London, says the study challenges the “myth” that 10,000 steps a day is a must.
He says 10,000 steps may be a good target for more active people, but for others, 5,000 to 7,000 is a more achievable target. Dr Andrew Scott of the University of Portsmouth also believes that the exact number of steps is not necessary. He says, “More walking is always better and people should not worry too much about a specific target, especially on days when physical activity is low.”
Read Also:
Technical writing is also called the science of designing and packaging information that is prepared…
Technical writing is a form of writing that helps explain complex and intricate processes related…
In today's busy life, weakness and fatigue are common things. A person must have felt…
Do you always feel tired? Is the complexion of your face not the same as…
The dark web refers to encrypted online content that is not indexed by traditional search…
The Dark Web Explained—96 percent of the Internet is the Dark Web. This is an…