How many steps do you need to take a day to feel good: the expert’s answer

L’daily physical activity it is good for health, as well as having positive effects on mood. Today we are subjected to increasingly stressful rhythms, lives have become sedentary: we do little sport, we walk little. All this has a negative impact on the body. To feel good, however, human beings need an active life and a balanced diet: the two aspects always go hand in hand. A good start, that would be walk 10,000 steps daily, a number that provides benefits on various fronts, from weight control to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Professor Gian Mario Migliaccio explained to Famnpage.it why the daily walk is a panacea.

How many steps do you need to take per day to feel good

The professor clarified: “There is no reference standard, in the sense that it is always individual, but the most accredited estimate is that of 10,000 steps: it depends on the height, on the length of a person’s step, because it can be from 3 to 6 km. But doing them once a year is useless, the 10 thousand steps must be done every day“.

Taking into account the daily progression of steps is useful for monitoring your progress, which is why the expert recommends equip yourself with a pedometer: “There are those that cost little and only have this function, but also those with wrist bracelets that have even more important measurements, such as sleep and blood pressure. They are useful as a motivator, because you actually know that you have to take at least that many steps to have an active life and if you then go and check at the end of the day that you have done 3000, you think about it more. The most useful thing about these tools is not so much the objective data, but that you think about it. It’s like having a personal trainer next to you every day“.

The 10 thousand daily steps, however, they should not be confused with physical activity: “Exercising is a different thing. Taking 10,000 steps is equivalent to living an active life. There are three parameters: sedentary, medium, active. Then if you play sports or go to the gym, you add another calorie expenditure. Many times, however, people get confused, they think they are fine just because they have taken the 10 thousand steps, but that means that according to our genetics you have only done the bare minimum. Human beings are made to move so that value of our biology is calibrated in 10 thousand steps“.

What are the health benefits of a walk

More than the 10 thousand steps, it’s an active life that makes the differencea style in which you take into account both movement and nutrition. The expert underlined: “Walking in general provides an improvement in cardiorespiratory capacity and calorie consumption: 10,000 steps are on average 300-400 kcal. The health benefits, however, are linked to nutrition and physical activity: one accompanies the other. So the walk is fine, but if I then think about rewarding myself with a hood and croissant, I’m doing damage, I haven’t even spent the necessary calories for that reward. Here: the walk doesn’t have to be a reward. It must be initially, especially for sedentary people, as a small level to reach. But then it must be part of our habits like drinking, eating, sleeping. Living an active life is part of good habits, it’s not something extra“.

What is the walking pace to follow to obtain benefits

“For the same kilometres, I can go at any speed: what I burn in 5 km is the same if I do it on foot, walking or running. 5 km is always worth 5 km for energy purposes. If I do it in a hurry, I add other aspects instead, that is, clearly I go to train, not to maintain: it’s a subtle difference but not a small one. With an active lifestyle I keep my body healthy, but if I am overweight today I will also be overweight tomorrow. I consolidate what I have. With a more active life, so I switch to a brisk walk and then to a run, I am no longer maintaining my physique, but I am improving it: I improve my body composition, I decrease fat mass, I improve lean mass on the muscles, I increase my capacity cardio respiratory. I’m moving towards improvement, it’s the second step“.

What is the difference between running and walking

There is a difference between running and walking: “They are two different and subjective motor patterns. It depends a lot on your predispositions and qualities. The level of change between walking and running is around 7 km per hour: if I go a bit faster I can no longer walk, I have to change the motor pattern and go towards running. However, scientific research has shown that walking on an incline is much more effective than running, so those who perhaps have difficulty running can have a higher cardiovascular commitment and caloric expenditure than running. Walking uphill is very effective, it doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to run to burn calories“.