Irina Pisareva answers,sports dietitian, nutritionist, member of the National Association of Dietitians and Nutritionists
In fact, the figure of 10,000 steps is a commercial move. It was invented in one of the Japanese firms. It was in 1964, before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. At that time, Japan was popularizing a healthy lifestyle. One of the companies created the world's first pedometer and named it " Manpo-kei "(translated as "10,000 step counter"). Manufacturers relied on the scientific work of their compatriots from the University of Kyushu, who calculated that 10,000 steps a day supposedly help to burn 3,000 calories (in fact, no). There is also a version according to which the developers of the pedometer chose the number 10,000, because the character that denotes it in Japanese resembles a walking person: 万.
When we move, the body produces the happy hormones endorphins
The Manpo-key device proved to be hyper-popular, and the figure became associated with a healthy lifestyle. There was a grain of truth in this, of course. Regular walking improves well-being, strengthens the immune system and accelerates the metabolism. The heart and lungs train when moving, and the joints adapt to the loads. Walking also improves your mood, because when we move, the body produces the happy hormones endorphins.
But the 10,000 steps figure, despite its popularity, is not universal.
First, not only the "quantity" of movement is important, but also its "quality". The same 10,000 steps can be run, or you can slowly walk for the whole day. The effect on the body in these two cases will be completely different. In the first case, the muscles and internal organs are trained and strengthened, in the second they work less actively and, accordingly, there is little benefit from such a load.
Secondly, each person has his own norm. For example, for people who are professionally engaged in sports (checkers and chess do not count!), ten thousand steps is not enough even for a light warm-up. And for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle and walk 2,000 steps at most, 10,000 steps is a huge load. And if you abruptly start to arrange it for yourself every day, then instead of good, there will be harm. Those areas of the body that walking is supposed to strengthen — the joints, heart, and respiratory system-will be affected. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the number of steps completed per day gradually.
Contrary to popular myth, 10,000 steps doesn't help you lose those extra pounds, either . A person loses weight only from a caloric deficit. Weight loss will begin if you reduce your diet by about 20% and add physical activity (for example, jogging, swimming, or going to the gym).
Another misconception is the association of 10,000 steps with beautiful muscle relief. Of course, such a load helps to keep yourself in good shape, but it involves less muscle than, for example, during Scandinavian walking.
Getting rid of extra pounds 10,000 steps does not help
On some sites, you can read that 10,000 steps a day extend your life. But no modern scientific research confirms this. Moreover, two years ago, a group of scientists from Harvard Medical School said that the figure of 10,000 steps is too high. Before that, experts for four years studied a group of women aged about 70 years and found that to reduce the risk of premature death, even 4,400 steps a day at their usual pace are enough.
Hence the conclusion: it is necessary to move, but you should not strive to see the beautiful number 10,000 on the screen. Even 5,000 to 7,000 steps a day may be enough for the average adult citizen to improve their health. If your stamina allows, you can perform them without interruption. Or you can do it with small pauses or even in two sets with a break of several hours (for example, do 3000 steps in the morning and 3000 in the evening). The main thing is to move at a fast pace or jog.
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