How many steps per day do you need for longevity

The widely held belief that 10,000 steps a day is beneficial has proven to be a common misconception. This is evidenced by numerous studies and statements of experts, while they do not deny that walking is very important for maintaining health. This news was a revelation for me.

How walking became a trend

The release of a new device in Japan for step counting required advancement. For successful sales, the company found a solution in the form of a call to walk, offering to count steps quickly and without hassle with the help of the device. The slogan mentioned exactly 10,000 steps, which grew into a recommendation for maintaining health.

Physiologists do not associate the number of steps with health, there is no relationship. Moreover, exhausting walking will do more harm than good. The number of steps cannot affect the physical condition of a person.

Life-prolonging steps

Scientists at Harvard are interested in how many steps are beneficial enough to increase life expectancy. They collected a lot of data on older women who counted the steps they took. The researchers determined the result as a threshold of 4,400 steps per day that people can take to affect their lifespan. Increasing the number of steps to 7,000 per day further improved the results.

Walking, scientists have found, affects changes in pressure, insulin levels, and a decrease in inflammation. Such changes create beneficial consequences.

Air is an important factor

To test the research of other scientists, you can conduct a simple experiment. Walk 3-4 thousand steps at home on a stepper and do the same amount in the fresh air. The differences are surprising. A charge of cheerfulness, good mood, lightness in the body - these are the results of the steps taken on the street. At home, this effect cannot be achieved. And I agree with that.

This conclusion was made in one of the works published in Scientific Reports, which studied the influence of nature on the physical condition of a person. Walking in the woodland helped to lower blood pressure, level out the mental state, reduce stress levels and bring the body into a harmonious state. An important factor is the time during which the walk is made. Less than 120 minutes a week in a park or forest was not physically satisfying and was not found to be effective or beneficial to health.

General harmony

The recommendations of health professionals boil down to the fact that it is not only the number of steps that is important, but also the influence of nature, the right habits, and additional exercise during walks. The approach to health must be harmonious and integrating various ways to improve it. I try to walk outdoors in the park as often as possible.

How many steps do you take every day?