Ten thousand steps? No, less is enough to lose weight and feel good

A new study corrects the myth of 10 thousand steps a day to stay healthy and lose weight. Here’s how many we should do …

Eugenio Spagnuolo

October 21

– Milan

Ten thousand steps per day? No, counterorder: to gain extra pounds and stay healthy, according to a new study, even less is enough. Good news for the lazy and hasty since, as a percentage, it would mean having the same benefits with double-digit savings (of steps) …

how many steps to take a day to feel good

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A group of researchers at Vanderbilt University looked at about 4 years of data from the fitness trackers of 6,042 American adults to compare their movement habits with health status. Participants in the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, they wore a fit-tracker for 10 hours a day and allowed the researchers to access their electronic health records. “Our study had an average of 4 years of continuous monitoring. So, we were able to account for the totality of activity between the start of monitoring and the time a disease was diagnosed, which is a big plus because we didn’t have to make assumptions about activity over time, unlike of all previous studies, “he explains Evan Brittain, associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at Vanderbilt University. The people involved in the study had aage between 41 and 67 years and they had BMI levels from 24.3, which is considered in the healthy weight range, to 32.9, which is considered obesity.

The result? The researchers found that those who walked 6.5 km per day – which is 8,200 steps – were less likely to become obese or suffer from sleep apnea, acid reflux, and depression. The study also found that overweight participants (those with a BMI of 25 to 29) halved their risk of becoming obese if they increased their steps to 11,000 steps per day.

Not just steps, but good habits too

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In short, about 8000 steps a day would be enough to keep us healthy and keep our body weight stable. A saving of 20% (in steps) compared to the infamous 10 thousand steps a day that, in reality, more than a scientific research in the field are the result of a theory widespread in the mid-60s to advertise the first pedometer on the market in Japan: close to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 it was believed that this was the quantity of sufficient physical activity to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

However, whatever the right number of steps to take every day, for years doctors and scientists have claimed that walking, along with diet and other healthy habits, can really help us lose weight and not regain it, as well as make us longer and healthier. and prevent age-related dementia and cognitive decline. Even better if at a fast pace: a recently published study found that taking about 10,000 steps a day reduces the risk of dementia by 50%. But, walking at a fast pace of 112 steps per minute for 30 minutes maximizes risk reduction, reducing the risk of dementia by 62%. And the good news is that the 30-minute brisk walk doesn’t have to be done all at once, but we can spread it out throughout the day. A little here, a little there, but as long as you don’t cheat.

October 21, 2022 – 10:11 am