A Recent study by Stanford University revealed that Indians walk 4297 steps on an average per day and we stood 39th among the 49 nations surveyed.39th in terms of laziest.Now, what is the definition of being lazy or physically inactive?
Well, it is estimated that if we walk 10,000 steps a day it can bring substantial health benefits.It not only helps in managing our weight but also elevates good mood and general well being. Let us discuss how walking can be the key to losing pounds or maintaining a healthy weight!
Whether we are just starting to build your fitness habit or are a more advanced exerciser, a regular walking program offers so many incredible health and fitness benefits!
Increasing our daily step count can help us to stay more active when we are not already working out, or to get us moving more often to spark up a new exercise habit. Even if we have been exercising routinely for years, it may not be enough to combat all ill effects of sitting. Hence adding more steps to a day can be not only beneficial for the waistline, but for your overall health too.The regular walk is associated with following benefits:
• It can lower risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
• Walking may reduce the risk of developing dementia and cancer.
• Walking can help reduce muscle pain.
• And, walking may be even more beneficial for the body than running since walkers have a much lower risk of exercise-related injuries than runners, whose legs absorb about 100 tons of impact force during just one single mile of running!
Even if we exercise daily for an hour, it’s not enough to prevent the ill effects long periods of sitting during the day, which is why a daily step goal can be a smart and beneficial approach to keep us active during the day.You must be thinking if currently, you are walking 5000 steps we so much effort, is how is it possible to double it up. So instead of suddenly just doubling your daily steps, simply try adding in about 500 extra steps in a week and slowly increase it so that you can make it 10,000.
So if you are still not sure how to track your steps? The following might help you:
1: By Time: 15 minutes at a brisk pace is roughly 1.6 Km (1 mile)(this is, of course, a general estimate, since everyone’s stride lengths differ exact mileage may vary).
2: By Steps: You can count 1250 steps approximately as 1 km.
3: With a Tracking Device: A pedometer or activity tracker can help you tally up your daily count, so if you decide to use one try designating a few times each day to check it so make sure you are on task for your goal. This can help prevent obsessing too much over the number or forgetting to check it until the end of the day when you may feel pressured to catch up to your goal all at once.
And last but not the least, If you haven’t been exercising regularly, increasing your daily steps can be a great way to build your fitness level and ease into an exercise habit.But once you feel ready to keep challenging your body, be sure to start including other cross training activities like resistance training (to help combat the loss of muscle mass that occurs with aging), stretching (to improve your range of motion and help prevent injury) and other forms of cardiovascular activity (interval training, for example, can help your produce more of the anti-aging human growth hormone) to keep your body in top shape.
Note: This Article is contributed by Suruchi Modi. She is a certified personal trainer by American College of Sports Medicine, Reebok India and Public Health Professional with 6 years of Public health experience.
Picture courtesy :Pinterest
