It is a debate that refuses to die down. 10,000 steps a day was a wild guess. It happened in 1984, and coming from a step-counter company, had obvious marketing motives behind it. But truth is often stranger than fiction, and that is what a new study on this subject published recently in the ‘Lancet Public Health’ shows.
It was a meta-analysis that studied health data from 47,471 adults across various age groups and sourced from 15 step-counting studies. What this study-of-studies found out is that for most people aged less than 60 years, a daily step count between 8000 to 10,000 steps reduced the risk of premature death.
For those above 60, and especially for those above 70, the study found that the daily steps can be 20% lesser, between 6000 to 8000 steps a day for the same kind of reduction in mortality. Also, the study found that the pace of taking these steps – whether it is by normal walking, brisk walking, jogging or running – didn’t greatly influence the mortality rates.
A separate study had also found that walking such significant steps daily is the most effective way to reduce belly fat. This finding is contrary to what most people believe, that belly fat can be reduced by spot reduction exercises like crunches, sit ups or planks that target the abdominal region. While these exercises can increase the muscle tone there, reducing belly fat demands sustained aerobics like walking.
There were also other benefits, than increased lifespan, from taking around 8000 steps a day. These include reduced risks for developing various debilitating conditions like heart disease, diabetes, dementia, depression and cancer. In other words, 8000 steps a day, or an equivalent amount of other exercises, also translated to longer healthspan, productivity and happiness.
Legendary fitness gurus like the late Jack LaLanne knew this concept intuitively, which led him once to state that, “Your health account and your bank account, they’re the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take out.” But this truth that was said figuratively long back, is now coming true literally too, thanks to the rapid technological advancements and innovation.
The best example is Limoverse, the world’s first blockchain based health & wellness ecosystem and metaverse, which has made fitness a money earner for users through its innovative HealthFi program. Based on two kinds of HealthFi NFT Sneakers, Burn2Earn and Move2Earn, this program rewards users by sending Limo crypto tokens into their wallets according to the calories burnt or the distance walked, jogged or run.
The Limoverse app and HealthFi Burn2Earn works with Google Fit and your wearables like Apple Watch, Google FitBit, Samsung Galaxy Watch or other such leading fitness trackers for delivering a host of health benefits. Users just have to download the Limoverse app, choose HealthFi Burn2Earn and connect their wearable with Google Fit.
Limoverse is also getting ready to launch its ModiFi program for those who are even more keen on taking charge of their own health by adopting the genomic lifestyle modification tool EPLIMO. Users will receive big rewards by way of crypto tokens for adopting EPLIMO and working along with a certified lifestyle coach in achieving specific health goals like weight loss.
(For more information, visit Limoverse.io)