Here are the benefits of walking just this far
Benefits Of Walking – A new study said that even with less than 10,000 steps a day, you can already achieve certain health benefits.
Walking can do a lot for your body, especially when you are not really a fan of running as a form of exercise. There is a common belief that reaching 10,000 steps daily can improve your health. However, a new study suggested that a lower than that number can give you benefits when it comes to your health.
Based on the article in The Healthy, Francisco B. Ortega, PhD, study author and professor of the University of Granada’s Department of Physical Education and Sports, said that the tradition dictates that people should at least do 10,000 steps a day to reap the health benefits of it but he stressed that this “came out of Japan in the 1960s but had no basis in science.”
12 studies involving over 110,000 participants were conducted and researchers analyzed them, and it was found that you don’t need to overdo walking to have its health benefits.
Ortega said, “We’ve shown for the first time that the more steps you take, the better, and that there is no excessive number of steps that [have] been proven to be harmful to health.” He said that you can aim for 7,000 steps for heart health and around 8,000 to decrease the risk of premature death.
Reaching 8,000 steps is equivalent to 6.4 kilometers and that is around 3.9 miles daily. For those who are still considered inactive when it comes to these numbers, there are still health benefits that can be achieved with lower steps.
For as low as 2,600 to 2,800 steps a day, you can still get considerable benefits for mortality and cardiovascular health. Minor increases in daily steps can significantly enhance one’s health, based on the research, and this is especially true for those who are starting at lower activity levels. The researchers explained that every 500 steps being added is beneficial. Based on the research, increasing the pace also improves your health.
Brisk Walking also has certain health benefits.