It’s well known that doing ten thousand steps a day will enhance one’s health, but since it’s around five miles of walking, many people find it challenging to meet this goal.
More effective strategies to obtain comparable health advantages without walking for at least an hour a day are now being shown by recent research.
One method is to use the stairs, according a study involving more than 450,000 adults.
The risk of cardiovascular disease was shown to be cut by 20% by climbing five flights of stairs every day, or approximately 50 steps, according to a study published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis.
Furthermore, the study discovered that climbing in smaller increments throughout the day yields the same benefits as climbing five flights of stairs at once.
“If you choose one flight of stairs, you go up it two to three times a day,” emergency medicine physician and ABC News medical contributor Dr. Darien Sutton said, noting that the study was not his work. “If you’re working in an office, choose a bathroom that’s on a different floor.”
Sutton pointed out that going up stairs can help lower the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in addition to enhancing muscular strength.
A other study that was published on Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine supported the notion that the body benefits from brief bursts of exertion.
Do you Really Need Ten Thousand Steps a Day?
According to the study, even 20 to 25 minutes a day of intense exercise, such as fast walking, jogging, or cycling, can extend one’s life.
Conversely, the study discovered that individuals who remained inactive for the most of the day—that is, stayed in bed or sat down for fewer than 20 minutes—had a mortality risk that could rise to 40%.
Sutton, who did not participate in the study, described it as “just an example that movement is a true key to longevity.” “And it only takes a couple of minutes a day just to get that benefit.”
Currently, individuals should engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, or 30 minutes a day, five days a week, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Adults should engage in two days of muscle-strengthening activities per week, according to the CDC.
It is also stated by the CDC that individuals are not required to complete their daily 30 minutes of exercise in one sitting, adding that “you can spread your activity out during the week and break it up into smaller chunks of time.”
This report was assisted by ABC News Medical Unit member Dr. Avish Jain.
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