As of: 02/14/2023 4:19 p.m
We should walk at least 7,000 steps a day – this is the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO). But those who are not kept busy by their job or their dog are usually far from it.
On average, we spend eight to ten hours a day sitting, and we also lie in bed for quite a while. And so, on average, we don’t even get it to half the recommended steps. And that’s a problem, because not much happens in the body when sitting and lying down and the organism has little reason to maintain its full functionality. When walking, on the other hand, many health-promoting processes are activated.
Lose weight and build muscle with walking
More exercise is good – and alleviates many chronic diseases. And that not only affects the joints, heart and circulatory system, but also the metabolism, the brain and even the psyche. Even walking slowly has many positive effects on the body:
- increased oxygen turnover in the body
- Strengthening of the immune system
- building muscles
- reduction in body weight
- Relief for the joints
- Training and strengthening for the heart
- strengthening of the vessels
- reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
- stimulation of the metabolism
- more brain power
- release of happy hormones
People who walk a lot often live longer
It has been shown in studiesfound that people who increased their average daily step count from 4,000 to 8,000 reduced their risk of all-cause death by 50 percent following ten years. For example, more steps per day were associated with a lower risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Those who managed to take around 12,000 steps a day might even reduce their risk of death by more than 60 percent. The step intensity, i.e. the walking speed, had no effect on the risk of death.
Fun is more important than performance
Fitness benefits particularly from structured training with increasing intensity. This allows intervals of brisk walking to be built into the walks and lengthened over time. However, no pressure to perform should be built up, the movement should above all be fun and motivate. Even short distances can make a big difference: for example, the lunch break can be wonderfully used for walking or doing one or the other shop on foot.
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