The message from doctors, medical experts and health advice columns in newspapers is clear: we should exercise more regularly. Some of us choose to play football or basketball. Others prefer to run around the park or take part in marathons. But how do we evaluate whether or not we are doing enough exercise?

Did You Know?

By the year 2030, 500 million people will use FitBits regularly to monitor their exercise.

A quick Internet search will soon tell you that taking 10,000 steps every day will keep you fit and healthy. That’s quite a lot of steps and it can take you at least 60 minutes. But where does this magic number of ‘10,000’ come from?

Shortly after the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, the very first gadget that could count the number of steps a person took was invented by a company called Yamasa. It had found that the average Japanese person took between 3,500 and 5,000 steps each day. Yamasa decided that if that number was increased to 10,000, people would become healthier and thinner. They called their new device the ‘Manpo-kei’. It means, ‘The 10,000 Step-Measure.’

Before the Manpo-kei, there was no scientific evidence suggesting that 10,000 steps per day was a real target number we should all be aiming for. Over the next few years, the idea of 10,000 steps was adopted by many different organisations around the world including the World Health Organisation and the American Heart Foundation.

Whilst there may be no medical research to confirm that 10,000 steps is the correct target, an Australian study in 2015 found that with every increase of 1,000 steps each day, the risk of dying early from any cause was reduced by six per cent. Those taking 10,000 steps per day lowered their risk by 46 per cent!

Doctors also tell us that walking regularly will help reduce the chances of heart disease, type-2 diabetes and depression. The Greek philosopher Hippocrates, who is also known as the Father of Medicine, once said, “Walking is man’s best medicine.” It seems he may have been right. It’s also very cheap and can be fun. Maybe there is a good reason for 500 million people to have a FitBit.

Question:

The benefits of walking every day explained.

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