Daily routine activity cutting down heart disease risk by 50 steps
Ditch the outdated belief that you need to clock 10,000 steps daily, a marketing gimmick coined back in the 60s to push a Japanese pedometer called Manpo-Kei! That 10k number may have held ground at some point, but it's been put to the test over the years, yielding mixed results.
One study did find that 10,000 steps a day is the sweet spot for weight loss if you're new to exercise. But then there's the study stating that 10,000 steps aren't quite enough for weight loss, suggesting the magic isn't at 10,000, but rather 12,000 steps a day for women under 40 and 11,000 steps for women aged 40+. Men, they say, should aim for 12,000 steps under 50 and 11,000 steps for those over 50.
But here's the game-changer - a study revealed that women walking just 4,400 steps daily managed to slash their risk of death by 41 percent! That's just 2.2 miles, approximately a 45-minute walk.
Now, you might be wondering - is there a way to cut that number even further? Seems like there is - with a simple daily activity, in fact!
Climb Your Way to Better Health
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In case you skippedhealth class, research on over half a million adults has established that climbing stairs regularly can slash your risk of heart disease by a whopping 20 percent! That's just 50 steps per day, considering climbing five flights is the recommended daily minimum.
Short bursts of high-intensity stair climbing, says co-corresponding author Dr. Lu Qi - a professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine - offer a time-efficient way to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness, reduce cardiovascular risk, and improve overall health.
Stairs are freely available, so Qi touts them as a low-cost, accessible way to add exercise to your daily routine. Moreover, even those who are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease can effectively offset the increased risk by climbing stairs every day.
Climbing stairs is proven effective for those with multiple risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). If you're still skeptical, remember that a previous study found stair climbing to be the best exercise for reducing blood pressure in stage 2 hypertensive postmenopausal women.
Get Up and Go!
Starting your stair-climbing journey is a breeze, especially if you have stairs at home. Simply go up and down five times a day to boost your heart health. Remember, research suggests "short bursts," so you can spread out your stair climbing throughout the day.
If you don't have stairs at home or work, try adding a park or shopping center with stairs to your daily route. Or better yet, your gym likely has a stair climber waiting for you! And don't worry about taking it slow at first - ease into it and build up your stairsMasterStatus gradually.
Takeaway: Aim for at least five flights of stairs per day (50 steps) to lower your risk of heart disease by 20 percent. Needless to say, incorporating more stairs and walking into your daily routine contributes to overall well-being and essential cardiovascular health.
- The study revealed that climbing stairs, as little as 50 steps per day, can reduce your risk of heart disease by 20%.
- Short bursts of high-intensity stair climbing, such as climbing five flights, can enhance cardiorespiratory fitness and improve overall health.
- Stairs offer a low-cost and accessible way to add exercise to your daily routine, especially for those who are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease.
- Incorporating more stairs and walking into your daily routine contributes to overall well-being and essential cardiovascular health, making fitness and exercise an important part of health and wellness, including brain health.
