Walking 10,000 Steps a Day - Why Should You Be Doing This?
Many people figure that they walk enough for their own good. So they want to know why they should make sure that they are walking 10,000 steps a day. This article tells them why.
Why not take 5,000 or 15,000 steps a day? Taking 10K steps/day has been found over some forty years of research to be an achievable but worthwhile fitness goal for most people.
Taking 10K steps is equivalent to burning approximately 500 Calories for a 150-lb. person. Given that burning an extra 3,500 Calories in a week works out to losing one pound, taking (an extra) 10K steps/day can help you to lose about a pound a week, everything else being equal.
Why is this goal about walking instead of running? Walking yields many of the benefits of running while decreasing the likelihood of injury and having greater situational and age-range applicability.
Walking is the most natural form of human activity. One could argue that humans are meant to run, too, and you certainly should count any running steps toward the goal of taking 10K steps/day. But walking is easier than running and is less likely to cause injury. And walking has many health benefits. So introducing a walking program into your life is a simple, cheap way to get back your youth.
Why is this a daily goal instead of a weekly or monthly goal? Unlike a weekly or monthly goal, a daily goal gives you the frequency of feedback that is necessary to help you reach and sustain taking 10K steps/day.
If recently you have not been walking farther than to and from your refrigerator or car, then taking 10K steps/day can seem unreachable. If you work out a lot, then taking 10K steps/day may seem at first glance to be no problem. But this goal is both easier and harder than it looks. So making it a daily goal instead of a weekly or monthly goal ensures that you get enough feedback to stay motivated to reach it.
Bottom line: You should walk 10K steps/day because of its health benefits, because of its simplicity, and because it is both reachable and challenging.
About the Author
Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D., loves to walk and run, and his website provides practical research for runners and walkers. By going to http://www.SpryFeet.com/Reports/, you can get Free his special report about eleven programs to help you reach and sustain walking a very beneficial 10,000 steps per day.
Taking 10K steps is equivalent to burning approximately 500 Calories for a 150-lb. person. Given that burning an extra 3,500 Calories in a week works out to losing one pound, taking (an extra) 10K steps/day can help you to lose about a pound a week, everything else being equal.
Why is this goal about walking instead of running? Walking yields many of the benefits of running while decreasing the likelihood of injury and having greater situational and age-range applicability.
Walking is the most natural form of human activity. One could argue that humans are meant to run, too, and you certainly should count any running steps toward the goal of taking 10K steps/day. But walking is easier than running and is less likely to cause injury. And walking has many health benefits. So introducing a walking program into your life is a simple, cheap way to get back your youth.
Why is this a daily goal instead of a weekly or monthly goal? Unlike a weekly or monthly goal, a daily goal gives you the frequency of feedback that is necessary to help you reach and sustain taking 10K steps/day.
If recently you have not been walking farther than to and from your refrigerator or car, then taking 10K steps/day can seem unreachable. If you work out a lot, then taking 10K steps/day may seem at first glance to be no problem. But this goal is both easier and harder than it looks. So making it a daily goal instead of a weekly or monthly goal ensures that you get enough feedback to stay motivated to reach it.
Bottom line: You should walk 10K steps/day because of its health benefits, because of its simplicity, and because it is both reachable and challenging.
About the Author
Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D., loves to walk and run, and his website provides practical research for runners and walkers. By going to http://www.SpryFeet.com/Reports/, you can get Free his special report about eleven programs to help you reach and sustain walking a very beneficial 10,000 steps per day.
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