How Many Steps do you Have to Take a Day to be Healthy?

The human body was meant to be in motion; that has always been the case throughout our history. However, things have shifted in the last couple of years, and this has been due to the current jobs and the development of technologies. We have neglected some basics such as moving, exercising, doing some physical activity. Consequently, our body suffers, and diseases related to sedentary lifestyle appear. To be healthy, at a minimum, you have to take a daily number of steps. We tell you what this theory is about.

You must have asked yourself, how is it that there are some specific daily steps to be healthy? This is an alert from the World Health Organization (WHO), given its desperation to encourage people to do physical exercise in their day to day lives, and not to fall into the destructive trend of a sedentary lifestyle.

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Statistics do not lie, in 2010, up to 23% of the world population (over 18 years old) did not engage in enough physical activity in their daily life to be healthy. The data also reflects how a country's economy influenced the physical activity of its society. People residing in higher-income countries moved significantly less than those living in countries with weaker economies. In the case of men, it goes from a 26% sedentary lifestyle in rich countries to 12% in developing countries. And in the case of women, from 35% to 24% respectively.

Physical exercise
image source: Pixaby

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For this reason, it was concluded that some motivation should be offered to people who had forgotten to exercise. Since as seen in the statistics, a large percentage of people had even stopped walking. They were devoting all his time to obligations, daily tasks, and leisure time with a tendency to lack of movement.

The Steps You Must Take Daily to be Healthy

WHO desperately started campaigns to get people to move and exercise, to be healthier. They recommended doing 150 minutes a week with moderate physical activity, which corresponds to just 20 minutes of exercise a day. And they found that this was not fulfilled in a high percentage of people who still did not exercise. They instead launched the: "Walk 10,000 steps every day!" Which is about 8 km. The question is, what steps are recommended? This goes way back, when Dr. Hatano did his research in the 1960s, in the face of the severe increase in obesity throughout the world.

This Japanese doctor observed that people in their daily lives generally do not exceed 5,000 steps a day, which is how he concluded that doubling that amount would, in turn, double caloric expenditure. This was the magic number, especially for many people who did not do any physical exercise. They cleared their consciences through a pedometer, achieving their goal of recommended steps daily. However, habits have been changing throughout this time, and research also has.

Take steps
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Currently, researchers from Warwick (England) published in 2017 in The International Journal of Obesity that the famous 10,000 steps were not currently enough. And what was the magic number going to be now? Now it takes 15,000 steps!

But is it enough to take the recommended steps? according to personal trainers, it is logical that the more time during the day we spend active, the better. The more active we are throughout the day, the greater the benefit to our health. Although it is good that we increase the times, rhythms, and distances progressively so that it is a well-done movement, which will have an impact on a healthier physical state.

On the Move Every day

To be healthy and not fall into the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, the most important thing is to at least walk every day. It is best to take things one step at a time. If you are not used to exercising, right off the bat, it is not healthy for you to go too fast. The key is in progression and consistency. At first, you have to integrate physical activity into your routine, without great effort. Each person starts from a physical level and has specific needs; that's why you have to discover yours too.

walking to stay healhty
Image source: Pixaby

There is no set amount of times per week that you should exercise, or exact steps or kilometers, to make sure you lose weight. This all depends on your physical characteristics.

The goal should be, above all, to abandon a sedentary lifestyle in favor of acquiring healthier habits, such as physical exercise. To begin with, personal trainers advise going for a walk for about three days a week. And always increase the pace of the steps one at a time. It is possible that in the first week, you will have more difficulties, and you will only be able to walk about 30 minutes at a good pace and that is fine. However, you must be patient, with the time You will improve and be able to increase your distances, speed, and intensity.

Also read: See These Effective Ways to Treat a Tight Lower Back

Acquiring this habit in your day-to-day life is the fundamental key to avoiding a sedentary lifestyle and starting to generate patterns for an active and healthy life. Walking has many benefits for our health, which is why health experts frequently insist that we do this activity. Some of its benefits include:

-Prevents the onset of diabetes. 

-Decreases the risk of hypertension. 

-Improve your sex life.

-Increase your energy, vitality, and physical performance.

-It has favorable effects on cholesterol. 

-Improves blood circulation.

-Reduces stress levels providing us with greater relaxation. 

-Helps your tone buttocks, legs, and abs,

-It serves to reduce the consumption of medications.

-Helps lose weight.

Bottom Line

Exercising helps you take care of your body, and your mind. Moreover that is the path that the Create Health method follows, which, also, not only works with meditation and mindfulness but also seeks to promote proper nutrition in people, as well as active life. If you are a beginner, make use of these apps to help you on your journey.

Translated and adapted by The Cop Cart Staff

Sources: Facilisimo

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