You’ve probably heard the saying “get your steps in”, and the recommendation to aim for 10,000 steps a day. When measured, 10,000 steps equate to 5 miles, which is a lot of walking. While it’s a great goal to walk 5 miles every day, it’s not realistically possible for everyone. So, how many daily steps should we be taking to stay healthy?
Believe it or not, the 10,000 daily step goal originated from a Japanese marketing campaign. Though the exact number was likely part of the campaign, there is some truth behind the benefits of taking so many steps. Studies have shown that walking 10,000 steps per day could reduce your risk of dementia by 50%. Even taking 4,000 daily steps (roughly 1.5 to 2 miles) showed a 25% decrease in the risk of dementia.
Walking also promotes better vascular health. The Alzheimer’s Society lists vascular dementia as the second most common type of dementia, the first being Alzheimer’s disease. Vascular dementia is caused by serious conditions, like stroke or heart disease, which limit blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
“Vascular dementia is a decrease of blood flow to the brain, usually from the small blood vessels in the brain, from smoking, aging, diabetes. We want to decrease inflammation.
Exercise is considered one of the best ways to decrease inflammation. And one of the easiest forms of exercise is walking. Walking 30 minutes a day, five times a week, significantly decreases your risk of atherosclerosis and vascular dementia.”
Paul Anain, MD
Chair of Vascular Surgery, Catholic Health
Fitness bands and watches are among some of the most popular technology devices you can buy. From simple pedometers to smartwatches being close to accurately diagnosing heart diseases and movement disorders, there’s a variety of options available based on your health needs and goals.
Even the shapes, designs and sizes vary. Some appear as plain, thin bands or can be designed to look exactly like your normal everyday watch. Rings are a newer, more discreet wearable, but they do not detect activity- like steps- as accurately as watches can.
Studies show slipping on a wearable fitness device can give your motivation to move a boost and increase your daily step count by nearly 2,000 steps! Based on these findings, researchers agreed there was “sufficient evidence to recommend the use of activity trackers”.
With the help of wearable fitness trackers, patients have access to personalized medical data that can be used to help prevent and monitor disease, as well as encourage them to actively participate in self-care.
Schedule an appointment with one of our knowledgeable doctors and take a step in the right direction to better vascular health.
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