Forget the 10,000 steps per day recommended by your watch or connected bracelet. For years, this figure was brandished as the indicator of a healthy lifestyle in an increasingly sedentary society. Even the World Health Organization has adopted it as a daily target in its recommendations. However, the number of steps is not a determining factor in staying in good health, report our colleagues from The Conversation.
8000 steps are enough
According to a recent study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicinethe optimal number of daily steps to ensure good health would be between 6000 and 8000. The risk of cardiovascular accident would be halved from 3000 to 8000 steps per day. Beyond that, walking more would become anecdotal, or even counterproductive, with a slight increase in mortalitynotes the study. Results which should however be taken with a pinch of salt temper the WHO.
Walking for hours on end would be of little benefit if your goal is to maximize your daily activity. Same thing for older people, for whom the ideal step goal would decrease with age. From the age of 60, 7000 steps are enough.
Why 10,000 steps?
If 8,000 steps are enough to ensure optimal health, we might wonder why connected watches and bracelets strive to encourage us to pass the 10,000 step mark. This rule has its origins in a Japanese advertising campaign from the mid-1960s. In the middle of the Tokyo Olympics, the Manpo-kei brand launched one of the first personal pedometers in history, setting this arbitrary target of 10 000 steps, or about eight kilometers. A model followed since then by the rest of technology companies. However, today, this objective is sometimes difficult to achieve, especially in the city.
Rhythm matters more than the number of steps
Make no mistake: walking is good for your health. The benefits of physical activity have been repeatedly demonstrated by science. From the first steps, walking promotes the release of endorphins in the brain, improves balance, strengthens the lower muscles and strengthens our body. It also allows boost our immune systemreducing the risk of getting sick, and facilitates the elimination of fat.
On the other hand, the number of steps does not play a determining role in our health. It would indeed be much more efficient to walk 30 minutes a day at a brisk paceaccelerating the pace, so that it becomes difficult to hold a conversation while you walk.
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