A study has said that less than 5,000 steps a day would be needed to stay fit and healthy. Citing a study from the Medical University of Lodz in Poland and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a report from BBC said an analysis of over 226,000 people across the world showed that 4,000 steps were enough to start reducing the risk of dying prematurely of any cause.
Just more than 2,300 steps are enough to benefit the heart and blood vessels. However, researchers said the more steps are taken, the more health benefits are seen. The study also said that every extra step beyond 4,000 reduced the risk of dying early by 15% up to 20,000 steps.
‘Lifestyle changes effective in reducing cardiovascular risk’
Maciej Banach, a professor from the Medical University of Lodz, said that while the number of advanced drugs for treatment was growing, they were not the only answer. Banach said that people should emphasise that lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, which was a main factor of the study, “might be at least as, or even more, effective in reducing cardiovascular risk and prolonging lives.”
Honey Fine, an instructor for global fitness company Barry, highlighted the problems that come from sitting down too much. Speaking to the BBC, Fine said too much sitting can slow down metabolism and affect muscle growth and strength, which can cause aches and pains.
“Sitting down for too long can also cause all sorts of back problems, we find this a lot with people with office jobs, that their backs are constantly put in a stressed compressed position which causes a lot more problems later on in life,” Fine added.
She went on to explain the importance of non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which is everything that people do that uses energy and burns calories.
Fine said that tasks including standing, carrying shopping, and washing the floors make people more active and help them to burn calories more efficiently.
