Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
Counting steps has become a
fitness trend these days. The new phones and watches make it easy to track how
much you’re moving in a day.
They say the average American sits
10 hours each day. Not only is that terrible for your spinal discs but it is also
a significant mortality risk. While recent research refutes findings that
chronic sitting is on par with smoking mortality rates, it is clearly a
significant risk factor in chronic ill health and early death, just like
smoking.
How many steps do you need for
health and longevity? Well, if you’ve been tracking your steps, you have
definitely heard the daily goal of 10,000 steps per day. But where did this
number come from, and is it based on scientific study?
The answer is that it is not based
in science and was thought to have first been used in a Japanese commercial for
a pedometer. That doesn’t mean 10,000 steps a day is a bad goal, it just isn’t
based on science.
A researcher named Lee and her
associates decided to study what a good number of steps per day should be for
better health and longevity. As it turns out, it takes significantly less steps
per day to impact your health positively than previously thought.
This study followed over 18,000
women aged between 62 and 101 with a mean of 72, who wore a step tracker for 7
days. The majority of the women averaged 2,718 steps per day. Compared to the
average, women who took 4,363 steps were 41% less likely to die in the next
four years, and taking 5,905 steps was associated with a 46% lower mortality
rate. Women who took 8,442 steps per day were 58% less likely to die in the
next four years. They also found the sweet spot of 7,500 steps per day is where
the improvement seemed to level off. This means that benefits progressively
increased from 4,400 to 7,500 steps, but over 7,500 steps yielded no further
gains in mortality rate.
Does this study mean that if
you’re walking over 10,000 steps a day you should back off? Surely you jest!
More steps per day may not further increase longevity or decrease risk of mortality,
but it sure can benefit weight control and strengthening.
As a general rule, you should sit
less than three to four hours per day, and make it a point to walk more every
day. As we age, walking can be a
significant exercise to keep you healthy. So keep moving and counting steps if
you must, your health is on the line.
As always, make chiropractic care
a part of your health regimen. Care of your biomechanical parts keeps you
moving and moving keeps you healthier and living longer.