According to the Brisbane Times, The Ideal Step Count Per Day we should strive for is not the much-touted 10,000 steps.
A new study by researchers at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre found the magic number is closer to 7500 steps.
Given that I walk a minimum of 15,000 steps before breakfast seven days a week and average over 20,000 steps a day, I am not quite sure I agree with this study’s findings and their concept of The Ideal Step Count Per Day.
However, I concede that I am not the average person, and at the age of 74, I have a little more time for activities that will help me achieve my health goals.
The article in question also links research data published by WHO and the British Journal of Sports Medicine. This research suggests that the 7500 steps touted by the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre research team may be an oversimplified “Majic Number”.
The benefits of Walking are Numerous.
Regular walking confers many physical, mental and social health benefits.
- Reduction in the risk for all-cause mortality (ACM),
- Walking at a volume equivalent to PA guidelines was associated with an 11% reduction in risk for all-cause mortality (ACM).
- The studies found a 31% reduction in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk in the highest walking categories compared with the lowest walking volume with higher intensity.
Translated, you don’t need to walk fast, but you need to walk a minimum of 7,000 steps a day.
From my perspective, I walk the distances I do before breakfast for a straightforward reason.
On an empty stomach, the only energy source for my exercise is the excess body fat my poor health choices and habits have allowed me to accumulate.
Walking at least 7,000 steps a day combined with A Balanced Diet has allowed me to achieve the following.
- Drop 35Kilograms in Weight
- Reduce my BMI from 36 to 26
- Cure my type-2 diabetes
- Lower my requirement for blood pressure medication by 50%
- Reduce my dependence on pain medication
