You've probably heard about the benefits of walking 10,000 steps a day. It's worth noting that the goal of 10,000 steps (which seems kind of neat, right?) Japanese companies started marketing in 1965 I was trying to introduce a device called Wanpo system (I'm talking about a 10,000 pedometer). However, this is a useful goal. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity We found that 10,000 steps per day is a reasonable goal for healthy adults.
As a personal trainer and fitness writer, I run and walk everywhere, so 15-20,000 steps per day is the norm, and hitting this number isn't an issue. But for two weeks, I decided to double my step count. Now, for the sake of sanity, I based my step count on 15,000 steps and figured that double the steps would be 30,000 steps. It may sound like a lot, but read on to find out what happened.
Advantages of increasing the number of steps
Let's be clear: You don't need to take an extremely high number of steps each day to reap the health benefits of walking. As evidenced by american heart associationstudy found that for every 1,000 steps study participants took each day, their chances of dying from any cause decreased by 22%. Researchers in the study found that compared to a group of people who walked closer to 4,000 steps a day, taking 5,500 steps a day reduced the risk of death from any cause by 49% and 11,500 steps a day by 67%.
Walking in general is good for cardiovascular health, keeping your heart and lungs strong. It's also low-impact, so it's less likely to cause pain, unlike running, where constant pounding on the pavement can cause some pretty severe pain in the knees, hips, ankles, etc.
Oh, and if weight loss is your goal, you'd be surprised how beneficial walking can be. Our bodies are designed to walk. It's a natural movement, and walking (especially brisk walking to get your heart rate up) burns a lot of calories.
I doubled my daily steps for two weeks — here's what happened
my feet hurt
Sounds obvious, right? But the extra steps were often done at a considerable speed, and the soles of my feet were a little sore. It was common for my skin to become hard and calloused, so I scheduled a pedicure after two weeks. The fact that my trainer wasn't giving me the usual 'bounce' may have also played a part in this. More on that later.
I completed a huge number of podcasts.
I can walk quietly for about 20 minutes before putting on my Airpods and starting a podcast. Podcasts are great — I'm a big fan of health and wellness-based podcasts. model health show, EC methodand the zoe Podcast. Why not take steps and kill two birds with one stone while learning something new?
I did this while I was in Australia.
I'm very lucky that my family lives on the west coast of Australia, where it's almost always sunny. So it was much easier to go for more walks and runs during January than it would have been if we were in the snowy UK. cold. It's much easier to accomplish by doubling the number of steps he takes outdoors in the warmer months, and in the winter a treadmill may be the best option.
My trainers are pretty worn out.
This walking challenge has made my trusty Nike running shoes even better. The sole, which had previously been spongy, felt a little firmer, and the “bouncy” feeling I had previously felt had certainly disappeared. This may have been due in part to my running, but the extra steps definitely played a role.
I needed to stretch more.
Extra movement = extra stretching, that's what it should be. I'm (sadly) not 21 anymore, so I can't stand up easily after climbing 20,000 steps or so without feeling the odd little discomfort here and there. During these two weeks of her, I noticed that my hamstrings were a little tighter and my shoulders were more tense, especially after a few days.
You can work up a serious sweat
Double the steps meant more time walking, so I was walking pretty fast to save time. On one particular 10km walk of his, he was running at a pace of 8 minutes per kilometer, which is quite fast. As I raced up the stairs, my arms were pounding, my legs were working twice as hard, and I was really sweating.
This walking helped my digestion
Do you feel sluggish? Walking may help. I have pretty healthy digestion (I like to think so!), but if I feel bloated I often go for a brisk walk to get my body moving. For the past two weeks, everything seemed to be working smoothly and I didn't feel too bloated. This will automatically make you feel better. After all, happy gut, happy brain.
I doubled my steps every day for two weeks — here's my verdict
I'll be honest and admit that I failed a few days during this challenge. Whether work took priority, training at the gym took priority, or you simply didn't have the time, adding in those extra steps just wasn't possible. It's not possible.
But on the days I completed the challenge, the endorphins and podcasts gave me a boost and I enjoyed the amazing digestive benefits.
You don't need to walk 30,000 steps a day. In fact, most people do not have time to walk this many steps in a day. But if you can, go for extra walks and skip public transport and walk instead. . Honestly, it's such a simple move that it makes me feel so good.
