In a recent documentary on BBC One called “The Truth About Getting Fit,” medical journalist Michael Mosley teamed up with Professor Rob Copeland from Sheffield Hallam University to investigate the supposed benefits of walking 10,000 steps a day. First of all, it was found that the notion of 10K steps a day started in Japan, around the time of 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Dr. Yoshiro Hatano created the Manpo-Kei (10,000 pedometer) to encourage Japanese people to increase their activity.
Wondering if 10K steps remains beneficial, the study pit it against the Active 10, which is a campaign backed by Public Health England to do three speedy 10-minute walks a day (which worked out to be about 1.5 miles and 3,000 steps). It was found that the Active 10 group performed 30 percent more “moderate to vigorous physical activity” than the 10,000-step group, despite a lower overall steps and "movement" time. Active 10 could be better for us because:
- Moderate to intense activity is better than low activity – it can get the heart rate moving faster.
- Participants reported it's much easier to do three 10 minutes per day, thus increasing the chance of following through consistently.
Start on your three 10 minutes today!