Thanks to smartwatches like Fitbit and the Apple Watch , the world has become obsessed with hitting 10,000 steps per day.
It’s like the equivalent of drinking eight glasses of water per day — everyone says it, so it must be true. Right?
Apparently not. New research has emerged, proving that walking faster is actually better than the number of steps you do.
We all know that walking is good for you.
In addition to getting you from Point A to Point B, research has found that walking can prevent certain diseases, prolong your life, and help you lose weight. It’s also a great way to improve your mood.
A study found that just 10 minutes of brisk walking can leave you feeling sunnier.
These benefits are amplified if your walk takes place in nature. Gorgeous greenery has already been found to provide mindful benefits, such as reduced anxiety and depression.
Walking even beats out certain exercises for weight loss.
You don’t have to hit the gym 5x per week or run a marathon to lose weight. There are low-impact exercises, like walking, to help you walk off the extra pounds.
Walking is what helped actress Rebel Wilson shed 75+ pounds.
“An Austrian doctor said ‘Rebel, the best way for you to lose unwanted body fat is just simply walking,” Rebel once shared. Doesn’t have to be high-intensity, doesn’t have to be uphill, just moderate walking an hour a day.”
She continued: “And if you can do that, for you, for your body type, it’s, like, the best way to lose unwanted body fat.'”
Rebel went on to do just that. While doing so, she wasn’t focused on reaching a certain number of steps.
And, as it turns out, that’s just how walking should be done.
Researchers from the University of Sydney have found that as few as 3,800 steps per day have benefits — so long as you walk the right pace.
They found this walking sweet spot by looking at data from 78,430 people who are mainly white, from the UK, and aged 40 to 70.
They compared average speed , step counts, and how their health was doing after seven years of follow-up.
For every 2000 steps participants took per day, on average, their lifespan improved.
It was found that their risk of early death was 8-11 percent lower. While 10,000 steps per day are obviously beneficial, you’re still gaining benefits from as few as 3,800 steps per day.
It was found to improve brain health by reducing the risk of dementia by 25 percent.
Comparatively, those who walked about 9,800 steps per day had a 50 percent lower risk of dementia. You get more out of these benefits if you increase your pace.
It turns out that the ideal speed for a 30-minute walk is 112 steps per minute.
Brisk walking like this at a good distance has been linked to better cognitive health and prevention of serious diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
“The take-home message here is that for protective health benefits, people could not only ideally aim for 10,000 steps a day but also aim to walk faster,” said Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, co-lead author of the study and research fellow at the University of Sydney.
“We all have deep fundamental instincts to avoid unnecessary activity, so we need those nudges to help people get started,” he said.
H/T: Jama Neurology
