Can the famous goal of taking 10,000 steps a day just our head, or really something that influences our daily lives? Maybe that’s not how it works, but the important thing is to have the habit of walking.
Some time scientists have been going to take 10,000 steps a day for some time to maintain a healthy life, while others seek to determine what the ideal number of steps is after all – which seems to be after all.
Although few people have time or desire to travel such extreme distances, several studies reveal that even adding a modest quantity of steps Your routine can significantly improve your health.
If you have an electronic clock or a mobile phone you may have seen that the device suggests a goal of 10,000 daily steps.
But is this brand a minimum that we really should do so as to be healthy and what happens to your body when the number of daily steps increases?
According to the neuroscientist Shannon Odell In fact, the simple act of walking brings benefits by itself – such as improving cardiovascular health, strengthen bones and reduce anxiety and depression.
The simple walking activity requires a effort of many muscles Located in our legs, trunk and back. Carry our own weight provokes “stress” in our bones, but this is a “stress” positivo.
Due to this effort, Our bones get stronger And this stress will stimulate Calcium and Mineral Absorption. If the walk becomes a habit, will improve bone densitysomething very difficult to achieve as age advances.
Well planned spaces help to put feet on the way
According to Shannon Odell, the stimulus for the practice of this activity should start from the cities themselves, which should become more “truck“And encourage its inhabitants, providing pedestrian paths safe and affordable For people of all ages.
One conducted by researchers from the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and published in 2017 on Environmental Research and Public Health shows us that neighborhoods focused on pedestrian travel, In addition to improvements in the physical partIt can also help improve psychological aspects of your residents.
In Hong Kong, elderly living in pedestrian neighborhoods reported higher levels of happiness and Lower cases of feeling of lonelinesscompared to those who live in less walking zones.
A paradigmatic case is the, in Vancouveran important two -kilometer road that was optimized for exercise activities such as walking and bicycle riding.
After its conversion, this route has increased the levels of physical activity among residents; Car travel by residents decreased 23% and their greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 21% – proving that well -planned spaces They encourage healthier lifestyles.
