It’s been quite the hype, hasn’t it– walking 10000 steps a day and flexing it on social media and to your peers with a brand new smart watch. We go for an hour long walk first thing in the morning, hit 10k steps and assume we’re done with our share of movement for the day. We sit for hours together at our desk to work and then laze around on the couch the remaining part of the day.

Let me bust the myth here. The intention behind the concept of 10k steps a day was to promote an active lifestyle as part of a Japanese marketing campaign back in the 1960s. Although walking is definitely beneficial for cardiovascular and overall health, there is actually no scientific research behind the number 10000. Later research showed that an average of 7-10k steps was sufficient to maintain overall health.

However, over the years there has risen a false notion that if you hit 10k steps everyday, you are doing sufficient exercise for your body.

If this was true, every single person who walked 10k steps would have clean blood reports with no health concern whatsoever! But that isn’t the case, right? To say the least, I have known people who walked a lot but still ended up with knee pain and high cholesterol.

So how can we really turn things around when it comes to our health?

• The real deal is not to just walk 10k steps a day; it is to do enough activity that equals 10k steps worth of effort! You can count in all your house chores, grocery shopping, running behind kids, cleaning, laundry, etc.
• 15 minutes brisk walk after every meal and hitting 1k steps every 1 hour for as long as you are awake in the day is so much more effective to manage blood sugar levels and maintain overall health. By simply walking 1k steps (takes roughly 8-10 min of brisk walk) every hour, particularly for folks with a desk job you are reducing your sedentary time! Your energy levels are good, mood is also significantly better, your body does not feel stiff either
• A brief 30-40 minutes of strength training atleast 2-3 times a week is absolutely necessary for each and every one of us apart from all this walking/activity. When you exercise with intention, you work on strengthening muscles, maintaining bone density, improving balance and keeping your joints intact. You will most definitely not end up with osteoporosis or knee pains as you age!
• No amount of physical activity can keep you healthy if you are not conscious about what goes into your mouth. Being mindful of what you eat decides whether you nourish your body or break it.