For many years, walking 10,000 daily steps is one of the main and simple recommendations for those who seek to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Nevertheless, now some of the medicine guarantees that this strategy can have a much lower health efficiency with which it is traditionally attributed.
In this group there is a scientist from the biomedic Ronda Patrick, who recently asked the question that slow and half a walk does not have a significant effect on health.
Thus, this practice can be much less effective than it is considered. According to Patrick, whose specialization in medicine is focused on healthy aging, slow walks do not have a significant effect for ninety minutes, because “hardly improve aerobic abilities.”
Why take 10,000 steps a day – a waste of time
For Ronda Patrick, it’s time to rethink the target of 10,000 daily steps and replace it with more effective strategies in terms of metabolic and cardiovascular health, which can also be integrated into the work schedule.
In a recent interview, Patrick explained that investment at least ten minutes a day provides higher advantages compared to long walks in terms of cardiorespirator potential, glycemic regulation and durability.
“I believe that 10,000 steps should be replaced by 10 minutes of intensive daily activity,” the researcher said. To support his approach, he quoted a study that compared the consequences of walking within thirty minutes against 10 squats every 45 minutes during the working day.
According to Patrick, the results showed that high -intensity and short duration exercises were much more effective in monitoring the level of glucose in the blood.
VO2 as a key indicator of health and longevity
“Walking is better than something, but the maximum VO2 does not increase significantly,” Patrick added, hinting at the maximum amount of oxygen, which the body can use during physical effort.
According to the researcher, the indicator is one of the best predictors of the cardiovascular system and durability. Therefore, he considered it necessary to raise this parameter.
“People who are at higher than 2.3% in the VO2 maximum have 80% lower risk of death for all reasons compared to low indicators,” he insisted.
The role of magnesium in cancer prevention
In addition to physical exercises, Ronda Patrick is also important magnesium in terms of cell health and disease prevention. He emphasized that consumption of less than 75% of the recommended magnesium significantly increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, among other conditions.
“Magnesium is important for restoring DNA damage caused by metabolic and surrounding stress,” he stressed, insisting that his deficiency jeopardizes the effectiveness of cell recovery systems.
Finally, he calculated that the adequate consumption of this mineral is associated with less general mortality, including the risk of death from cancer.
