Walking This Many Steps Daily Has Huge Benefits For People Who Sit All Day
A sedentary lifestyle is known to be bad for your health.It increases the risk of heart disease, decreases muscle strength, and has been linked to certain types of cancer.
According to research released by the American Heart Association, about 80 percent of all jobs in the United States are sedentary, which means that this is a big problem for many people.You may not be able to quit your sedentary job, and even if you do, you may end up finding another job that requires you to sit in front of a computer all day.
So what can you do to combat all the ill effects of a sedentary lifestyle?Walk more, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.The study found that walking 9,000 to 10,500 steps can combat many of the negative effects of being sedentary.
The study consisted of 72,174 people who wore exercise trackers for seven days.Their sedentary time and exercise time were tracked.The average age of the participants was 61 years and the average sedentary time was 10.6 hours per day.
The researchers found that people who walked 9,000 to 10,500 steps per day had a 39 percent lower overall risk of death and a 21 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease.About 50 percent of the benefits came from walking 4,000 to 4,500 steps per day.
But don’t worry if you can’t reach that number of steps per day.People who walk at least 2,200 steps a day also have a lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers followed up with the study participants after 7 years.During that time, there were 1,633 deaths and 6,190 cardiovascular events.
The study does have some limitations, and it is unclear whether other factors such as diet or other habits may affect outcomes during the 7-year follow-up period.
In addition, while more steps may be associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease, this study was observational, so the exact relationship is unknown.
You can increase your daily steps in a number of ways.
If you have a sedentary job, it can be difficult to increase your steps to 9,000 or 10,500 a day.But experts say there are many ways to take a little more steps each day.
To make your walks more fun – and to take full advantage of the benefits of social interaction and walking – you can walk with a friend or neighbor.You will push each other to get into a walking habit and stick to it.
Or, you can designate a certain podcast or audiobook to listen to only on your walks.It will get you excited about the walk and you’ll be “rewarded” for listening to your favorite things.
You can also find walks that make you happy, whether it’s a stroll through your favorite part of town or along a local nature trail.
If you don’t have time for your daily outdoor walks, there are strategies you can use to shift your steps indoors.
If you find that you don’t have time to go for a walk at a local park or hiking trail, there are some guidelines you can follow to take a walk at home.
Once you’ve designated an indoor walking area in your home, call a friend, put on some music or turn on a podcast, and start walking.You can easily take a 20-minute or even 30-minute indoor walk this way.
You can also use the stairs in your home for walking exercise.If you get tired just walking up and down the next flight of stairs, that’s enough.As you do this workout more and more, your endurance will build, starting with one or two sessions and gradually increasing over time.
If your home doesn’t allow for this kind of indoor walking, you may also want to consider purchasing a desk treadmill, which can help you add to your daily steps as you send emails or fill out spreadsheets.
Whether you choose a walking mat, a nature walk or a city stroll with a buddy, there’s no wrong way to increase your step count.And, if you can’t get to 9,000 or 10,500 steps, that’s okay.Any method is better than none.