How Many Steps Are They Now Recommending.

 

If you count the number of steps per day, you'll know that 10,000 was the magic number but it turns out the magic number came about as part of the advertising campaign launched by the Japanese company who marketed one of the first pedometers in the 1960's. 

Some people finally did some research to determine if the 10,000 steps a day was good or if there was some other number that turns out to be better. One of the conclusions is that middle aged participants who log only 7,000 steps per day have a 50 to 70 percent reduced chance of dying of any cause over the following decade.  There is also a reduced chance of premature death when they walked 7,000 steps per day.

This particular study took place in 2005 and 2006. It observed 2110 adults aged 38 to 50.  They wore a special piece of equipment designed to keep track of all their steps over a week.  Once the study was over, the study continued following these people for 11 years.  Over the 11 years, 72 people died mostly from cancer or heart disease. 

The researchers discovered that people who took between 7,000 and 10,000 steps experienced a significant reduction in their mortality risk.  They also discovered there was no correlation between speed or step intensity and mortality. They did find a correlation between people who increased the number of steps with benefits they received. 

Currently, the guidelines that were rewritten in 2018 wrote their recommendation as walking for specific lengths of time but there is no recommendation for number of steps.  However, they recommend all adults walk at between 7,000 and 13,000 steps every day. A mile is made up of about 2,000 steps depending of the length of the stride.  Most people are able to achieve 5,000 steps a day just by going through their normal daily activity. 

The researchers did not use a standard pedometer, they used a research grade tracking device that is much more accurate than the normal pedometers used by people.  According to one study, pedometers are more accurate at counting steps when a person is walking at a speed of 3 miles per hour or higher.  In fact, the accuracy was found to be around 96 percent but if the person is walking between two and three miles per hour, the accuracy drops to between 74 and 91 percent.  If the speed of the walker drops below two miles an hour, the accuracy of the pedometer drops to between 60 and 71 percent.

This is due to the pedometer needing to detect the vertical movement of the hips in order to work well.  If a person is walking slowly, the pedometer is unable to detect movement as well. Furthermore, pedometers are either piezoelectric or spring-levered.  The piezoelectric versions are more sensitive at slower speeds while the spring-levered ones are position dependent and must have a certain tilt.  If the tilt is off, then the accuracy can be off by 20 percent at fast speeds and up to 60 percent for slow speeds. Since the piezoelectric type is not dependent on tilt, they tend to be much more accurate. In addition, they are not designed to calculate distance or number of calories burned. 

In the end, it is best to purchase a pedometer that only measures the number of steps and nothing more.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

What Is The Optimum Number Of Steps Needed Each Day?

It's funny that the idea of walking 10,000 steps per day originated as a marketing ploy by a company in Japan who needed a way of marketing their pedometer.  Over the past few years, it become to go to marketing for many walking programs.  I have at least three DVD's labeled with a certain number of steps covered if one completes it.  I tried using a pedometer but I kept loosing it and gave up on monitoring the steps I took everyday.

Recently, there have been some studies done on the effectiveness of 10,000 steps per day.  According to the CDC, most adults need to aim for this number per day since walking is considered a low impact exercise of moderate intensity and it has few risks.  The accepted conversion rate is 2000 steps per mile so 10,000 steps equals around 5 miles. Unfortunately, most Americans only walk 3,000 to 4,000 steps which is considered sedentary and doesn't provide enough movement.

Although walking may not seem like it provides many benefits, it actually does.  It improves muscle strength, range of motion, blood flow, flexibility, balance, joint stiffness, sleep, mood, and breathing.  To experience the most benefits from walking, one needs to take at least 5,000 or more steps per day.  In fact, one study from last year, found that if a person takes 8,000 compared to 4000 steps per day, they decreased their chance of dying from any cause by 51%.  If a person increases the number of steps per day to 12,000 per day, the chance of dying drops by 65%.

Another recent study indicated that any number of steps over 4000 helps a person's level of fitness. For instance, older women who consistently walk 4,400 steps per day have lower death rates than those who only walk 2,700 steps per day.  In addition, the range of 7,000 to 10,000 steps per day provided the maximum benefits for most people. 

It is important to remember that not all steps are created equal. If a person wants the best situation for exercise, think about making some of it going up hill.  When a person walks up hill, it activates three times more muscle fibers than walking on a flat surface thus improving the workout. Now if you happen to live in a flat area where its hard to go up hill, there are other ways to accomplish it.  Think about climbing stairs as most towns have buildings with multistory buildings or you might be lucky to live in a two or three story home with steps you can run up and down.

You could also use a stool or an exercise step to step up and down for a set period of time or maybe you want to walk quickly around the block multiple times or add ankle or wrist weights so you have to work harder. If you focus on an object in the distance as you walk, it can increase your walking speed by up to 23%. Or you could try Nordic walking with requires you to use poles as you walk which helps work out the upper and lower body.  This explains the number of people I saw using poles as they walked in Sweden and Iceland.

The nice thing is that the steps do not have to be done all in one go.  It is possible to spread them throughout the day. If you work in a multistory building, take the steps up to the floor you work on.  If you are say on the 35th floor and are a bit out of shape, take the elevator up to say the 32nd floor and walk up the rest of the way. As it becomes easier, add a few floors to climb the stairs and continue.  At lunch, get away from your desk and walk around with some friends.  

At work, think about taking breaks from sitting and walk to a bathroom or conference room that is located on the other side of the building or park at the back end of the parking lot so you have to walk further. If you work downtown, park at a lot that is further from your building or get off one or two stops before the one you need. 

The bottom line, is to aim for at least 7,000 steps per day but if you manage 10,000 to 12,000 steps each day, you are more likely to lose weight.  In other words, keep moving.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.