You’ve probably heard it at some point in your life: We should be walking 10,000 steps per day. With our pedometers in tow, the seemingly lofty-sounding goal of about 5 miles is actually quite easily attainable for any active person.
Only focusing on how many steps you’re getting and neglecting other aspects—like diet and exercise—won’t result in an overall improvement in health. You have to address the other factors as well.But where did the idea of needing to walk at least 10,000 steps come from? According to a recent article from NY Magazine, it came from 1960s Japan, around the time of the Tokyo Olympics. A company there created the “man-po-kei”, or pedometer. “Man” means “10,000,” “po” means “step” and “kei” means meter or gauge. Because the number 10,000 is a lucky number in Japanese, the company created a good-sounding name for marketing purposes. And the man-po-kei exploded, and the 10,000-steps-per-day prescription was born.But, obviously, life in 1960s Japan is very different from life in 2015 United States. Back then, Japanese people consumed about 2,600 calories per day; today, Americans eat about 3,600 calories per day. That difference of 1,000 calories translates to about 20,000 steps.
So what does this all mean? Basically, the 10,000-step mantra was always simplistic and somewhat arbitrary. While it’s great to aim for walking that much a day, the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always work. Only focusing on how many steps you’re getting and neglecting other aspects—like diet and exercise—won’t result in an overall improvement in health. You have to address the other factors as well.
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So in closing, just try to be as active as you can be. Meaning, try to stand rather than sit, walk rather than stand, jog rather than walk, and run rather than jog. Just keep moving more than before.
Curated from NY Magazine
