Why walking can be the key to a long and vigorous life

In the whole story, not many things inspired as many quacks, such as pills, mixtures and promises to leisurely down aging, increasing vitality or extending life. However, there are several golden truths among the noise and empty claims. Already 400 BC, Hippocrates, commonly considered the father of contemporary medicine, said: “walking is the best medicine of man.” Over two millennia later, science finally catch up in this wisdom.

People who walk over 8,000 steps a day reduce the risk of premature death by half, compared to those who walk less than 5,000 steps – a threshold for a sitting lifestyle. But over 8,000 steps the benefits tend to the plateau, which questions a long faith in the magic of 10,000 steps a day.

In fact, this reference point was not born of science, But marketing. . 10,000-stage goal comes from Japanese advertising campaign from the 1960s For the world’s first commercial handlewiz Manpo-iwhich literally translates into “10,000 steps”.

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Recently, scientists have studied a basic but vital question: does every step count the same or can walk faster – more than 100 steps per minute or about three to four miles per hour – in fact they give more health benefits?

In the case of aging and heart health, there is growing evidence that the pace really matters. Simply putting a 14-minute walk into a seven-minute energetic walk was related to 14% reduction of heart disease.

Analysis of over 450,000 adults in Great Britain used a genetic biological age marker to reveal that in middle -aged, the life of vigorous walking reduces biological age to up to 16 years Compared to life of leisurely walking.

The supplementary examination suggested that it is never too overdue to operate vigorous walking. An inactive 60-year-old woman or man was modeled on an additional A year of life waiting Simply introducing a ten -minute energetic walk to their daily routine.

The power of vigorous walking can also be seen in his ability to predict future health results. It turned out that it was Stronger predictor About the risk of death due to heart disease than time-honored predictors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, at the same time they are a stronger predictor than many other measure of lifestyle – including diet, levels of obesity and total physical activity.

In fact, perhaps the most informative question that a doctor can ask for: “How quickly is your walking pace compared to other people?”

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But quick walking may not provide additional benefits for all results or in all contexts. For example, the benefit of walking quickly after walking with lightweight to reduce the risk of cancer is less.

The last study suggested that although complete walking was associated with a reduction 13 different types of cancerThere was no value added from quick walking. It has also been shown that the breakdown of the prolonged seat with the elbow of lightweight intensity also has a deep effect on metabolic effects.

Importantly, walking has a halo of benefits outside physical health. Can lend a hand in brain activity, Disodulation of the production of creative ideas. Indeed, brain systems that support memory and imagination are also the same as those activated during the movement of the whole body.

Many of us already operate this phenomenon, using going to problems and reaching solutions or insights that would otherwise remain elusive. The context is also vital here, with mental health and cognitive benefits because of walking, which are strengthened when walking through nature.

The so -called “nature prescriptions” for clinical populations used these principles to enhance walking activity and improve mental and physical health.

Physical inaction is the main motor of a contemporary epidemic of long -term states, such as diabetes and heart disease, which are currently observed in industrialized and developing economies. It is estimated that 3.9 million premature deaths can be avoided annually by focusing on physical inactivity.

However, instead of preventing medical systems, they are largely based on management – people get unwell and then prescribe medication in the treatment of the disease. On average, introducing a novel medicine to the market covers $ 1 billion, which, despite these research and development costs, still generates significant profits for shareholders showing the scale of health management.

If only a fraction of these costs has been redirected to public health initiatives aimed at increasing the possibilities of walking and physical activity for everyone, the need for more and more sophisticated medical management can withdraw.

In compact, when looking for a life elixir, you can do worse than looking down on your feet.