If you’ve ever tracked your steps with a wearable fitness tracker, a smartwatch or the pedometer built into your phone, you likely have strived to reach 10,000 steps a day. After all, it’s often hailed as the gold standard for daily movement goals. It’s a solid round number that somehow feels both achievable and momentous, helping you improve overall health, burn calories and possibly even boost longevity.
However, research has shown that you may not need to move quite that much to reap the wellness benefits of increased activity, which begs the question: if 10,000 steps isn’t the right goal, what is? Do you need to hit that many daily steps then? Here’s what science has to say.
The importance of movement
Your overall calorie burn is a combination of several things: the energy needed to keep your body humming (known as basal metabolic rate) and to digest your food, as well as intentional exercise and all your other daily movements. When people think about incorporating movement into their lives, most tend to focus on the intentional exercise part of the pie. But that ignores the also important smaller bursts of movement, a category called NEAT or non-exercise activity thermogenesis.
Skimping on NEAT doesn’t do your health any favours, as these actions play a vital role in your metabolism and overall well-being. The more of your day you spend doing literally anything other than sitting, whether that’s walking to the bathroom at work, weeding your garden, folding laundry or standing in line at the grocery store, the more you’ll boost your metabolic rate, which ultimately means more calories burned. Plus, research shows an association between prolonged sedentary time and a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, even if you exercise. Clearly, how much you move throughout the day really matters.
“The little things definitely do add up, especially for folks who are more sedentary,” Sarah Eby, a sports medicine physician at Mass General Brigham and assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, tells us.
And this is where that 10,000-step goal comes in. The exact figure is a bit of a farce. (It’s believed to stem from a device called Manpo-kei, which literally translates to “10,000-step meter,” that a Japanese company created in the 1960s as a marketing gimmick.) But your daily step count is still one of the easiest ways to determine the amount of NEAT you’re getting. That being said there are lots of other ways to move your body throughout the day that contribute to NEAT as well. The important thing isn’t what you’re doing to move more; it’s that you aren’t just sitting at a desk for eight straight hours, then in a car, then on your sofa.
“If you’re largely sedentary throughout the day, your metabolism says, ‘Okay, we’re not moving, I can slow down,’” explains Marissa McCay, a sports medicine physician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “By increasing little movements throughout the day, you’re teaching your body that you’re becoming more active and thereby, your body needs to increase its metabolism to keep up with you.”
Small actions, big calorie burns
A healthy approach to weight loss includes a well-rounded diet with plenty of whole foods, protein and fibre; a fitness regimen that features cardio and strength training and other lifestyle factors, like reducing stress and getting quality sleep. Although you may be killing it at your morning HIIT classes, it’s all the movement you do beyond the gym that can really move the needle if you’re trying to stay fit. In fact, one comprehensive review found that energy expenditures from daily movement can vary by as much as 2,000 calories per day among people of similar sizes, depending on biological factors like age and genetics but also how much they move outside of exercise. The study highlights that even small things like fidgeting and walking while on the phone add up to make a substantial impact on metabolic rate.
More movement made easy
According to the experts interviewed for this piece, walking more is an ideal way to increase NEAT. But remember, doing so doesn’t require lacing up your sneakers and going for a dedicated walk. Small swaps also count: taking a stroll to grab coffee instead of driving, choosing the stairs over the elevator or escalator, walking to public transportation rather than using your car: you get the idea! If you’re looking to level things up, you could invest in a walking pad and a standing desk or even a treadmill desk. Having a pedal exerciser under your desk is another way to increase movement if you have a job that requires spending hours at a computer.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: vogue.in
