Naging popular sa bansa ang 10,000 steps a day nang gamitin itong tagline sa campaign ng isang milk brand.
Ang walking kasi ay nakakatulong daw para maiwasan ang osteoporosis, isang sakit kung saan nababawasan ang density at quality ng bones.
Pero ang concept na ito ay nagsimula sa Japan noong 1960s, nang inilunsad ang first commercial pedometer, ang manpo-meter—na ang ibig sabihin ay 10,000 steps. At that time, ginamit lamang siya as a catchphrase, pero wala talagang scientific basis.
Over time, sinuportahan ito ng iba't-ibang organizations, gaya ng Diabetes Prevention Program, President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport, American Heart Foundation, at Department of Health & Human Services sa U.S.; Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare sa Japan; National Obesity Forum ng U.K.; World Health Organization sa Switzerland, to name a few.
Can you lose weight with 10,000 steps a day?
Ang average number of steps ng Pinoy, ayon sa 2017 study ng Stanford University sa U.S., ay 4,008 steps, making the Philippines the fourth least active in the world.
Base ito sa smartphone data ng "700,000 individuals across 111 countries" tungkol sa kanilang general patterns of activity and exercise.
If you target 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day, para ka nang nag-moderate exercise for 30 minutes. At ang count na ito ang recommendation ng Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at National Center for Biotechnology Information sa U.S.
The 10,000 steps a day, according to numerous studies, is a good number para mapababa ang blood pressure at cholesterol after 24 weeks, at ma-improve ang glucose levels.
If you achieve it each day for one week, you can lose 2,000 to 3,500 calories per week or about one pound of fat.
But if ang goal mo ay pumayat within a shorter period of time, go for quality steps. Ibig sabihin nito, instead of looking at the total count, mas pagtuunan mo ng pansin na dagdagan ang speed o intensity.
British Journal of Sports Medicine came up with the "100 steps per minute for 10 minutes" after a series of experiments.
Aside from walking faster, fitness experts also suggested walking on an incline, kasi, to burn calories, kailangang hingalin ka at ma-increase ang iyong heart rate.
But all these depend on your age and weight. If you want to compute the best number of steps for you, ask help from a fitness expert.
And don't forget to drink enough water.