Ever wondered where the ‘10,000 steps a day’ thing came from?
In the 60s, Dr Yoshiro Hatano, a Japanese researcher, launched a pedometer called ‘manpo-kei’, meaning ‘10,000 steps meter’ – and although it wasn’t scientifically mandated – it was associated with having a healthy lifestyle.
Only later on, the premise behind the marketing campaign was adopted by health organisations and fitness fanatics as the world-wide standard of overall well-being.
Benefits of walking 10,000 steps a day
According to healthcare charity Nuffield Health, there are many benefits to getting your steps in on a daily basis.
Lowering dementia risk by 50 percent
If you walk 9,800 steps a day, that’s meant to be the ‘optimal dose’ for reducing the risk of dementia or memory loss (amnesia) by 50 percent, a 2022 study by JAMA Neurology suggests.
It can also reduce your anxiety and depression symptoms.
Reducing joint pain for arthritis patients
A 2019 study published in the National Library of Medicine found that arthritis patients could benefit from walking 10,000 steps a day, possibly easing knee and joint pain.
Lowering risk of premature death
For every 2,000 steps walked in a day, it can reduce the risk of premature death, according to research from the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal.
Possible reduced risk of disease
The journal found that 10,000 steps a day could lessen the chances of developing cardiovascular disease, 13 types of cancer, stroke, and heart failure.
Improved mental clarity
Research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found a link between walking and improved mental clarity, which can increase the creative flow of ideas.
What happened to the dude who walked 250,000 steps in a week?
YouTuber Jack Massey Welsh, known as JackSucksAtLife on the platform, decided to take part in a unique social experiment, which provided some crazy results.
The content creator decided to walk 35,000 steps a day for seven days, and by the end of the week he noticed a physical and visual difference.
He looked visibly slimmer in his before and after pics and had lost around two pounds of weight overall.
It appears he lost weight from everywhere, with the exception of his thigh, which had ‘grown’ by half a centimetre.
“I seem to be narrower than when I first started, which I didn’t really expect,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting to be able to see any difference, so this is really surprising.”
However, it’s important to note that Welsh also had a lot of blisters on his feet, as well as a swollen ankle, and joint pain.
