Hello, Publish0x community!
I work from home and I don't always fulfill my health goals.
Have you ever had this issue?
This led me to do a little study on the subject, "how many steps a day to stay healthy."
If you are interested, you may enjoy this read and you may learn some valuable info! Enjoy!
Our health is important. It is the foundation of our vitality and the source of our longevity. There are many aspects to our personal health, but frequent activity is one of the key principles of health. This leads us to the question, “how many steps a day to stay healthy?”
According to a massive literature review by the PHAC (Public Health Agency of Canada) which called for an intensive curation of thousands of English medical articles from across the world, the consensus is for at least 10,000 steps a day for regular adults. However, this goal depends tremendously on age. Does the quality of the steps taken matter?
Yes, they absolutely do! During the collection of data for this extensive review, the quality of the physical exertion was not ignored. The definition of ‘steps’ was refined to assume that all data relayed is based on the prepose that ‘moderate steps’ are 100 steps/min. Essentially, if you walk for 30 minutes at moderate cadence, you have walked 3,000 steps.
A 2004 study by Tudor-Lock and Bassett separated the different levels of activity in adults.
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< 5,000 steps daily (sedentary)
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5,000 – 7,499 steps daily (low-active)
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7,500-9,999 steps daily (somewhat active)
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10,000-12,499 steps daily (active)
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12,500+ steps daily (highly-active)
How Many More Steps a Day to Stay Healthy?
On average in the U.S. adults abysmally take 5,100 steps daily. This inactivity is terrible for our health as individuals and we can humbly take note of it. This insight offers us the option of making an effort to change. From here we can try to meet our goals of how many steps a day to stay healthy.
It is understood that our physical health has a great effect on both our mental and social health. Our modern society conversely panders to convenience and comfort, ease of life, that may not always be healthy.
There is a ‘light’ in the darkness of inactivity, however. That ‘light’ is our ability, as humans, to adapt. Much of the data gathered for these insights are now being compiled with the use of accelerometers, a new technology that allows us to track how many ‘steps’ we take throughout the day.
Prior to the technology that empowers digital pedometers to track ‘steps’ and approximate distance traveled with GPS, it was expensive to perform studies. The size of the data field we have today was unheard of in its current magnitude.
With the new innovations of these inexpensive ‘step’ trackers, we are now able to identify where we are in our health goals – as a whole and individually – and take action to better our health through daily exercise.
Here is the chart from BioMed Central:
Above: How many steps a day to stay healthy, chart by the BMC
The chart shows the suggested step minimums for people of all ages. If you look closely, you will see the upward-pointing arrows coming from the baseline minimums. The intent of these arrows is to show that more is better.
Am I Walking Enough?
Having the information is one thing, but how do you know if you are walking enough to sustain your health? Whether you already walk on a regular basis, or if you are going to invest the time in your health to get started, you need some way of gauging the amount you are walking – so you are aware of your effectiveness toward your health goals.
Let’s look at a couple of ways you can gauge your ‘steps’ for effective walking towards better health.
How to Calculate Your ‘Steps’ Manually
If you don’t have a pedometer, you can manually find your average steps, to get a general understanding of your current physical activity and adjust your goals accordingly.
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First, you will need to count each of your steps for a set period of time during your regular walk. Before you go on your walk, make sure you have something to gauge your time. Use a watch, or maybe the stop-watch on your smartphone for this.
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Walk at your regular pace, no faster or slower than you would during any other walk, or you will have an inaccurate reading. Walk for 10 minutes, counting each step until your stop-watch shows you’ve hit your time. Write down or save on your phone your number of steps.
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Use your calculator and divide the number of steps you counted by 10. This should give you the average number of steps you walk per minute (e.g. if you counted 1,000 steps in 10 minutes your average steps per minute is 100.)
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Now, take your walking goal, (let’s say you want to hit the minimum 7,000 your first week,) and divide it by your average steps. In this case, if your steps were 100/minute, divide 7,000 by 100. Your answer will be the number of minutes you should walk to achieve your goal, in this case, 70 minutes daily.
Finding Out How Many Steps a Day to Stay Healthy With a Pedometer
This method is a lot easier and more accurate than counting your steps manually. These gadgets range in expense, but most are fairly cheap. The top-end ones can do everything from gauge your steps, help you with your goals, remind you of appointments, to even making calls and sending texts with vocal commands.
Different pedometers possess unique features. The higher-list items are pretty amazing and have super accurate accelerometers. Independent research has shown some to have 90% accuracy.
Conclusion:
Knowing how many steps a day to stay healthy plays a key role in your overall physical health. In today’s modern age, some of us have a tendency to fall behind on our goals for physical exercise.
Having a method to gauge our exercise can help us meet our goals and improve the length and quality of our lives. Isn’t that what we all long for – a long, healthy, fulfilling, happy life?
