Five fruit and vegetables a day. Eight glasses of water. 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week. 14 units of alcohol. Health and wellness is full of numbers and targets, but do they really matter? Actually, yes. Most of them are based on research that aims to optimise our health and prevent disease.
However, one figure that has worked its way into our psyche is 10,000…
Most of us are aware that 10,000 is the number of steps that healthy, able adults should be aiming for each day.
From the earliest pedometers to the use of an accelerometer, gyroscope and compass in the fifth generation iPhones to the now ubiquitous smart watch, there aren’t many of us who aren’t at least vaguely aware of our daily step count. In fact, many of us use it as a competition to challenge friends, partners and colleagues! (Or is that just us?)
But what does this number actually mean? Does our health benefit from walking 10,000 steps a day on a regular basis? Or is it an arbitrary number? Is some walking every day what matters most, rather than a target amount?
Here’s all you need to know…
