Rikuta Hamayalead author of the study – whose results can be seen in JAMA, explained that the trigger for the research was “that existing physical activity guidelines focus primarily on the duration and intensity of activity, but lack step-based recommendations.” .
woman-exercise.jpg
The discovery highlighted the importance of counting steps in exercise plans.
“With more and more people using smartwatches to measure their steps and overall health, we saw the importance of determining how step-based measurements compare to time-based goals in their association with health outcomes: is it one better than the other?” added the scientist.
An important discovery for women
Current recommendations indicate that it is good for adults to get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. During the study, it was found that participants performed an average of 62 minutes of moderate activity, less than half of what was recommended, but they took 5,183 steps daily. This means that walking, an activity that almost everyone can do, is just as important as exercise in health care.
►YOU MAY BE INTERESTED: The discovery that makes China already think about a new pandemic
Walking many steps led to a noticeable decrease in the risk of early death and the development of cardiovascular diseases. Over the 9 years of the study, only 9 percent of the participants died, and 4 percent developed cardiovascular disease. The higher the activity level, the more the risk of disease was reduced.
hike.jpg
The number of steps we take is just as important as other types of exercise.
What it means for the future
After studying the results, one of the study’s authors, I-Min Lee, considered it necessary to establish exercise goals based on number of steps. This activity has much less impact than others, and is just as important.
