I have been wearing a Fitbit fitness tracker watch for more than 3 years now but it’s only during the Covid-19 lockdown that I actually started to track my steps closely, making sure that I hit at least 8,000 steps a day during my shelter-in-place.
On most days, I clock in an average of 12,000 – 13,000 steps a day. On days that I don’t exercise, I hit an average of 8,000 -9,000 steps. On some days, I hit more than 16,000 steps and these are the days that I have the time to run for an hour at the park.
Walking 10,000 steps a day has become a popular fitness goal. But does taking 10,000 steps a day really have anything to do with good health? Of course it does!
The surprising truth is that the 10,000 number originally appeared in the 1960s when a Japanese company started selling pedometers called manpo-kei, which literally translates to “10,000-step meter.” Later, studies confirmed that people who take 10,000 steps have lower blood pressure, more stable glucose levels and better moods. The number quickly caught on. More recently, some researchers have suggested 15,000 steps might be even better.
Research has unanimously concluded that the more light activities you can do in a day, the better. Taking more steps means you’re spending less time being sedentary, which is better for your health.
Here are just a few of the health benefits you’ll experience once you start to clock in more steps in a day.
1. It will strengthen your lungs.
2. It will boost your heart health.
3. You could walk off your body fat.
4. It boosts your mood and battles the effects of depression.
5. Slows mental decline.
6. Gives you time to think and do some soul searching. You could also pray when you walk. Daily walking can act as a form of meditation. It gives you time to mull over ideas and find solutions to problems.
7. It improves your concentration.
8. It strengthens your bones.
9. Walking 10,000 steps a day builds muscle.
10. It helps stabilize your blood sugar.
11. Once you form the habit, it is easy to turn it into a lifestyle change.
12. It helps you sleep faster and better.
The broader point
For many, 10,000 steps is a reasonable target because it’s ambitious but attainable. However, depending on your lifestyle, 10,000 may seem impossible to achieve. If you struggle to reach even 3,000, set a lower goal to start and then work your way up. Track your steps for a week or two and see what you average. Then set a goal that is ambitious but that with a little additional effort, you can achieve. Once you start reaching your goal every day, you can work on setting it higher. If you can easily get in 10,000 steps a day, bump it to 11,000 or 12,000. Try 16,000 or 17,000 if you really want to.
As long as you’re pushing yourself to walk more every day, and at a brisk pace, you can be sure you’re doing your mind and body some good. If you’re intent on taking 10,000 a day, make sure at least some are the fast, heart-pumping kind that leave you sweaty and winded. No number of slow steps can replace the benefits of heart-pumping activity. Strength training is important for your muscles and bones, even if it doesn’t help you hit 10,000 steps.
There’s no doubt that walking leads to more calories burned throughout the day. However, without understanding your calorie net caloric balance, walking 10,000 steps, or even 20,000 steps a day might not be enough to cause any meaningful fat loss or improvements to body composition if you do not control food portions and calorie intake.
In order to achieve fat loss, you need to burn more calories than you get from your food. That’s called a caloric deficit. With a caloric deficit by walking 10,000 steps and eating less only can one burn fat and lose weight.
Setting yourself with a step challenge is an easy way for anyone, of any fitness level, to condition themselves to be more active. You may be surprised at how much or how little you actually get up and move during the day.
I have boundless of energy on most days, thus I can exceed my target number of steps each day. I’m thankful to my parents for this DNA as they are also very energetic and active folks. Speaking of DNA, you can get a DNA test Malaysia done that can tell you a lot of information about yourself that you don’t even know!
Leave a Reply