Debunking the Fitness Myth of Walking 10,000 Steps Every Day
Why you should measure walks in terms of time, not distance
Introduction: The Many Benefits of Daily Walks
I have always loved to walk. I detest working out and would rather orally satisfy a cactus than enter the vicinity of a gym, but I love walking. Just me, my music, and the road. I reside in a large and sparse neighborhood with wide roads and long distances and after downloading an application I learned I walk a minimum of three kilometers every day. The maximum thus far is six. But that is a rarity. The point is, I walk. A lot. Every day.
Which is fortuitous, because walking offers a host of benefits, both physical and mental. According to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), walking briskly helps build stamina, burn excess calories and strengthen the heart. Even ten minutes of rigorous walking is enough to enjoy these benefits, though I recommend twenty to forty. In any case, the NHS recommends 150 minutes of exercise weekly.
Walking thirty minutes for five days a week can reduce one’s risk for coronary heart disease by nineteen percent. It also burns calories, helping one lose or maintain weight — the former of which is my current need of the hour — and lower blood sugar…
