Exercise is healthy, there is no question about that. But walking 10,000 steps a day? It doesn’t have to be. Study results show that fewer steps make a big difference.
If you want to stay healthy, you should walk at least 10,000 steps a day – you’ve certainly heard this saying at one point or another, haven’t you? Be it from fitness influencers, as a preset on your pedometer, or among family and friends. Depending on the speed, it would take about 80 to 150 minutes (about eight to nine kilometers) in total.
Difficult to achieve, especially if you have a job that involves a lot of desk work. But according to a report by German Press Agency (dpa) and according to a current study, you don’t have to.
Study shows: 10,000 steps are good, but not a must for a healthy life
August 9th was im European Journal of Preventive Cardiology one study released that loud dpa states that around 4,000 steps a day can reduce the general risk of death. And: “The risk of cardiovascular disease even decreases with just under 2,400 steps per day.”
Prof. Christine Joisten from the Cologne Sports University says loudly dpa-Reporting that the 10,000-step rule is an important predictor of success in lowering blood pressure and BMI. But also “More exercise is already beneficial to health.”
Don’t miss it: You can find everything to do with health in the newsletter of our partner 24vita.de.
Where does the 10,000 step rule come from anyway?
Hard to believe, but this well-known fitness rule of 10,000 steps has never been scientifically proven. Instead, it was launched more than 50 years ago for an advertising campaign. From a Japanese manufacturer of pedometers! According to one Mirror-Item was called this Manpo-kei: “which translates as something like: the 10,000-step counter. The manufacturer argued that this number of steps is healthy and reflects a healthy lifestyle. Apparently he didn’t need scientific studies for the assessment.”
Exercise is healthy and can prevent diseases
“In general, exercise in everyday life, at work and in leisure time, contributes to the prevention of civilization diseases and non-communicable diseases,” says Joisten in the report dpa. The spectrum here includes cancer and cardiovascular diseases, including their risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Furthermore, regular physical activity contributes to the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. In addition, exercise has a positive effect on orthopaedic, rheumatological and mental health aspects, Joisten continues.
Improving the quality of life: ideas for movement
“This has a similar effect on chronically ill people and above all contributes to the quality of life,” explains the professor, adding that any form of exercise is good for you as long as you adapt it to your own state of health. Loud dpa She recommends dancing, strength training with rubber bands or light weights, yoga or gardening as exercise ideas.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editorial team cannot answer individual questions about clinical pictures.