Fun facts of 10,000 steps
Who made the world’s first pedometer?
And no, it's not Fitbit or Garmin. Yamasa Tokei Keikico., Ltd made the world’s first pedometer in 1965. The company was founded by Mr Jiro Kato in 1942 in Tokyo to manufacture aircraft instruments. In 1957, they began manufacturing industrial instruments and special watches. It was only in 1965, they established a new healthcare equipment section and made the world’s first pedometer.
Where did the 10000 step recommendation come from?
The first pedometer was named “ Manpo Meter” which meant ten thousand step meter in English. Yamasa marketed the first pedometer under the slogan of “ Healthcare with 10,000 steps/day”
What are the benefits of walking?
Research has found that walking has multiple benefits which includes the followings
Reduce blood pressure
Reduce body mass index
Reduce body fat
Reduce total cholesterol
Improve cardiovascular fitness
Do I get more health benefits if I walk faster?
Faster walking is more effective than slow walking when it comes to building aerobic capacity and lower limb muscular endurance for the elderly. A recent research published in 2022 by La New and Borer found that slower speeds with longer duration were associated more significant total body fat loss in postmenopausal women. As for longevity, Williams and Thomson in 2013 found that a faster walking pace was associated with reduced risk of death whereas Saint- Maurice at al in 2020 found no significant improvements with walking at higher intensity for all causes of deaths. Despite the conflicting evidence, one thing’s for sure is that there are no detrimental effects of fast walking reported.
Are more steps better for health?
If we increase our daily steps from 4000 to 8000 per day, it significantly improves our chances for longevity. Moreover the more we walk the less sedentary we are and it's with a sedentary lifestyle that is very detrimental to health.
What is the take home message?
Walking is a simple form of exercise that is free with multiple health benefits. More is better than some but some is better than none. So put on your walking shoes, get out and WALK.
Reference
Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Bassett DR, et al. Association of Daily Step Count and Step Intensity With Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA. 2020;323(12):1151–1160. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1382
Hanson S, Jones A. Is there evidence that walking groups have health benefits? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2015 Jun;49(11):710-5. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2014-094157
La New JM, Borer KT. Effects of Walking Speed on Total and Regional Body Fat in Healthy Postmenopausal Women. Nutrients. 2022 Jan 31;14(3):627. doi: 10.3390/nu14030627.
Bai X et al. Effect of Brisk Walking on Health-Related Physical Fitness Balance and Life Satisfaction Among the Elderly: A Systematic Review.Front. Public Health, 31 January 2022. Sec. Aging and Public Health.
