In recent years, a healthy lifestyle has become particularly popular: people began to take care of themselves, play sports, eat right and so on. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that not everyone has decided to change their approach to life, so there are plenty of people who do nothing but usual lazy things. Unfortunately, at the moment there are even most of them. But the worst thing is that many of them do not even suspect that they are doing something wrong. They just live a normal life, but even if you conduct a small experiment and see how much they manage to walk during the day, the results can be unpleasantly surprising. That is why it is very important for every person to think about what condition his health is in, as well as what he can do to improve it. Special diets, exercise and other measures are important, no doubt, but still the very first and most mundane step should be walking. Walking is very important, and many people have no idea how little they walk.
Norm
When it comes to walking, the question immediately arises for people: how long does it take to walk to have a positive effect on health? In this case, the answer will not have to be sought for a long time, since it is universal and has been known for more than fifty years. The standard daily rate of steps for a person is ten thousand a day, so you will need to do your best to achieve such a result. Naturally, this is not as simple as it might seem at first glance, but at the same time there is nothing complicated. If you are used to leading a sedentary lifestyle, then you will have to try hard. How to most effectively do this will be discussed a little later. In the meantime, it’s worth dealing with one interesting question: why do you need to walk exactly ten thousand steps? This riddle torment many people who hear about this norm, so it's time to reveal its secret.
Rate history
If you are interested in how much you need to walk every day, then you have already received the answer: ten thousand steps are the optimal norm for an average person. But where exactly did this figure come from? What research has been done to reach this number? In fact, no research was initially conducted, just in the mid-sixties, when the first pedometer appeared in Japan, he was given the name manpo-kei, which is translated from Japanese and means "ten thousand steps." As it turns out, this indicator is just a marketing ploy, with the help of an attractive large figure, manufacturers wanted to draw attention to their creation, and they succeeded. Since then, pedometers have begun to be made everywhere, and today they can be purchased anywhere and in various configurations.
Modern research
But it is worthwhile to understand that only because of the name of the device fifty years ago it would hardly be possible for the whole world to focus on this indicator. So why, if you are trying to understand whether it is useful to walk, you need to set the bar for yourself exactly ten thousand steps?
It turns out that over time, various studies have been carried out, which confirmed that this norm miraculously turned out to be ideal for the average person. One of the recent experiments, conducted a little more than five years ago, attracted about 250 thousand participants, and in its course it was again established that the passage of ten thousand steps a day has a very positive effect on human health.
Thus, there is no doubt as to whether to walk. Sports can be a great way to build muscle, increase stamina, develop other physical skills, but walking should be the basis of your life, especially considering that now more than half of the people work sitting in their chair eight hours a day, and at home they continue sit at the TV or computer.
Pedometer
Of course, you will not walk all day on the street, calculating in your mind exactly how many steps you have taken. Fortunately, now you can easily get yourself a special device, which was discussed above, - a pedometer. It is he who will help you count how much you need to walk per day. Depending on the model, it can be worn on the wrist, fastened on the chest or on the belt, and also just be in your pocket, purse and so on. Moreover, different models may offer different sets of functions. And if the simplest pedometer considers only steps, then more advanced models can take your heart rate, average speed and many other aspects. A pedometer is an indispensable thing in the household of every person, so if you are going to lead a healthy lifestyle, then you definitely need to get one so that you can imagine how many steps you take per day.
Program creation
You finally figured out how many people should walk per day, but now you need to understand how to achieve this ideal. It is clear that athletic people or those who work outside the office are most likely to reach this level every day. But what to do for those who are not used to such physical exertion? In this case, the development of a simple program helps very well. In accordance with it, you need to take measurements every day after buying a pedometer, without trying to achieve any specific goal, that is, walking exactly as much as usual. This should be done within two weeks, fixing their performance. Then you can calculate the average number of steps per day, and here you can already start working on yourself. Every day (or every two to three days, depending on your physical form) add five hundred steps to the initial indicator, until you reach the cherished mark of ten thousand. And from now on, all you need to do is always maintain the level achieved.
Stairs
Many pedometers are equipped with another function - counting the flights of stairs completed during the day. And this is no accident, since this type of activity is extremely important and incredibly useful. Therefore, you need to either purchase a similar pedometer with an additional function, or independently count the daily flights of stairs, fortunately, this is easier than counting the steps, since you only have to overcome ten flights in a day. You can start with a lower indicator, and then, as in the case of walking, gradually increase the number.
Task simplification
Many people, seeing a figure of ten thousand steps in front of them, are surprised and even fall into despair: how can they manage to achieve such a result? But do not be scared, because there is always the opportunity to do useful things, combining it with business. Do you like to go shopping? So why not use it to your advantage, as a walk around the outlet can also add an impressive number of steps, especially if it's a large hypermarket. In addition, you can always go for a walk with an interesting person, for a conversation with whom on the fly time will fly by quickly. If you have no one to take a walk with, you can record your favorite music on the player, which will brighten up your pastime.
Final tips
Walking is the foundation of your health, so do your best to fulfill the ten thousand step norm daily. But at the same time, always monitor your health, do not overload yourself, do not ignore shortness of breath or pain in the muscles or joints, as this can lead to unpleasant consequences.