My initial plan today was to take a walk outside. I even went outside and took the video and decided it was warm enough. After my little video filming, which is below, I chose to walk inside. There has definitely been some wintery mix of weather in my area recently. I wanted to stay warm and listen to some music while I walked inside. So, I put on my bunny slippers and started my laps around the living room and upstairs hallway.
This week I am at 7,700 steps. We are told a lot that 10,000 steps a day is the magic number for walking. That's actually not the case according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine, at least not for older adult women. According to the researchers, longevity benefits of walking plateaued at 7,500 steps.
So, where did the 10,000 steps idea come from? It came from a marketing campaign in Japan. The marketers thought that 10,000 steps a day would be easier to remember. And, in fact, it is easy to remember. Can you imagine someone telling you to remember to take 7,500 steps a day or even 4,500? Actually, you should take as many steps a day as you feel comfortable taking. As I like to say, doing something is always better than doing nothing.
While I was walking today, I also thought about other things going on in my life. Walking is a great time for me to problem-solve, reflect on issues, or to even get ideas. I also use it to organize my thoughts. Many times, my posts, articles or even books are "written" in my head before I even write them on paper. I can tell you, I save a lot of time working that way, too.
Next week, I plan on increasing my steps again. If you want to stay where you are or level off at 7,700 steps, that's okay. I am planning to do another 5k this Spring, so I really want to be ready for that when the weather gets warmer. I also have other fitness goals that I have set for myself this year, and I will let you know those as they get closer. Whatever your goal is for walking, make sure you keep walking and keep enjoying the benefits of walking!
Sources
Lee I, Shiroma EJ, Kamada M, Bassett DR, Matthews CE, Buring JE. Association of Step Volume and Intensity With All-Cause Mortality in Older Women. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(8):1105–1112. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.0899
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| Actual photo of me wearing my bunny slippers. |
This week I am at 7,700 steps. We are told a lot that 10,000 steps a day is the magic number for walking. That's actually not the case according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine, at least not for older adult women. According to the researchers, longevity benefits of walking plateaued at 7,500 steps.
So, where did the 10,000 steps idea come from? It came from a marketing campaign in Japan. The marketers thought that 10,000 steps a day would be easier to remember. And, in fact, it is easy to remember. Can you imagine someone telling you to remember to take 7,500 steps a day or even 4,500? Actually, you should take as many steps a day as you feel comfortable taking. As I like to say, doing something is always better than doing nothing.
While I was walking today, I also thought about other things going on in my life. Walking is a great time for me to problem-solve, reflect on issues, or to even get ideas. I also use it to organize my thoughts. Many times, my posts, articles or even books are "written" in my head before I even write them on paper. I can tell you, I save a lot of time working that way, too.
Next week, I plan on increasing my steps again. If you want to stay where you are or level off at 7,700 steps, that's okay. I am planning to do another 5k this Spring, so I really want to be ready for that when the weather gets warmer. I also have other fitness goals that I have set for myself this year, and I will let you know those as they get closer. Whatever your goal is for walking, make sure you keep walking and keep enjoying the benefits of walking!
Sources
Lee I, Shiroma EJ, Kamada M, Bassett DR, Matthews CE, Buring JE. Association of Step Volume and Intensity With All-Cause Mortality in Older Women. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(8):1105–1112. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.0899
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