Do you know where the "10,000 steps" a day originated? The American Heart Association? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention? Not so much. It's not some magical number but rather it came from Japanese research done in the 1960s. Dr.Yoshiro Hatona reported that the average person walked between 3,500 and 5,000 steps a day. Dr. Hatona also determined that increasing activity levels to 10,000 steps a day could burn 20% of daily caloric intake and everybody would be healthier. It took awhile for the information to make it to America, but in the 1990s pedometers began to gain in popularity in the states and we took the 10,000 steps a day more seriously. Back in 1990s the percentage rate for obesity in Texas was 10-14%. In 2010 it climbed to 30%. I guess we started walking, but eating more. Regardless, states in the South have a higher rate of obesity. Texas is right up there with the rest. We do have a reputation for "big" in Texas. Maybe it's time to give up the biscuits and gravy and take up a pedometer, a fitness tracker or a smart phone. Adding 500 steps a day is a good place to start if you are able. Here are a few ways to do it.
- REALLY park the car far out in the parking lot.
- Carry in the grocery bags one in each hand instead of one on each finger. Make more trips.
- Get up and move during the commercials when watching TV.
- Long phone conversations can be carried on just as easily vertical and moving.
- Instead of going to lunch with a friend, go for a walk.
- Pick up your pace a bit.
- Walk the dog or the neighbor's dog.
- Do you have an idea to share? What's your trick to being more active? Email annitaedgar@yahoo.com to let me know.
Resources: LiveScience by Rachel Rettner, Quora by Sandra Zuend
