Is it good to walk. Walking for a beautiful figure - how much does it cost to walk a day to lose weight

How many steps a day should a person walk to be healthy? A fairly common recommendation is to take at least 10,000 steps daily. And can you afford a hamburger if you have walked these 8 kilometers? Should people accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle be equal to this norm? How did this “norm” come about and is it time to change it? Let's try to figure it out.

“It all started with the Tokyo Olympics in 1964,” explains Professor Catherine Tudor-Locke, who studies movement in LSU‘ s Pennington biomedical Center. - During this period was created man‑ po‑ kei, or a pedometer. Man means "10,000" ro- "Steps kei- "meter" or "sensor".

Ten thousand is a "very auspicious number" in Japanese culture, explains Theodore Bastor, a Harvard researcher on Japanese society and culture. “So it’s likely that the 10,000 step challenge was an ancillary one because it sounded good for marketing purposes.” Regardless of the reason for choosing this particular number, “it resonated with the population at the time, and people started walking with a pedometer everywhere,” says Tudor-Locke.

It is important to consider that life in Japan in 1964 was markedly different from our reality in the Western world in 2015. “Apparently, the daily lifestyle in Japan in the 1960s was healthier - people consumed fewer calories and animal fats, and used cars much less often,” says Bestor. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations shows that the average per capita food supply for the Japanese in 1964 was 2,632 kilocalories, while the average American received 3,639 kilocalories in 2011. That is, the difference is about 1,000 kilocalories - or if you track your pace, about 20,000 steps for the average person.

These figures, of course, depend to a large extent on the territory, social, demographic and many other factors. But this does not affect the essence: it is impossible to argue that the Japanese in the 1960s lived in the same “nurturing environment” as we did in 2015.

Nutrition researchers point out that 10,000 steps is an overly simplistic number. Scientists agree that it's okay to walk that much every day, and that it's generally better to walk as much as possible (or otherwise be physically active). But Tudor-Locke notes that “a one-size-fits-all approach does not always work.”

Her work is focused on studying the least mobile categories of Americans (a fairly large segment of the US population), and for such people it often becomes a problem to walk even 5,000 steps a day, let alone 10,000. But increasing the number of steps per day from 2,500, say , under 5,000 is a small but important win for people who don't exercise at all, and it can have significant health implications.

A large 2014 European study examining mortality among people with different levels of physical activity found that “there is a marked decrease in risks from the category of inactive people to those who are classified as moderately inactive” - about 20 - thirty%.

“People who are currently doing little to no exercise will not benefit from the 10,000 step recommendation. In fact, it can interfere with their physical activity, explains Tudor-Locke. “For people who lead an extremely inactive lifestyle or suffer from chronic diseases or other health problems, such a load can be a huge jump and scare them.”

In a country where people eat very unhealthy foods, there is also the possibility that by reaching the goal of 10,000 steps a day, a person will allow himself to neglect other potentially important health factors, in particular diet. Yes, 10,000 steps is great, but if you buy a hamburger after every 10,000, you'll still gain weight and face all sorts of unpleasant, negative health effects.

So while 10,000 steps is a convenient slogan and marketing slogan, it may be time to refine the recommendation for daily walking, given the sheer number of unhealthy people and how much they would benefit from just a modest increase in their own physical activity.

While the science behind nutrition and exercise is quite complex, that doesn't mean you should give up. "Stand more than you don't sit, walk more than you stand, run more than you walk, and run as fast as you can," says Ulf Eklund, lead author of the European mortality study. Tudor Locke further simplifies this rule: "Just move more than before she says. - Keep moving more than before".

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Hypodynamia occurs in the absence of sufficient motor activity and leads to various disorders in the work of the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive systems and the musculoskeletal system. To restore the normal functioning of the body, you do not need to sweat for hours in the gym. Walking is the easiest and most accessible way for everyone.

How many km a day you need to walk depends on the state of human health. You can start literally from a few hundred meters - as long as you have enough strength. Gradually increase the pace, distance, time.

The benefits of walking are enormous:

The musculoskeletal system is strengthened;

Metabolic processes are normalized;

Increases the oxygen content in the blood;

Improves blood and lymph circulation;

The heart is strengthened;

Normalizes blood pressure;

The tone of the whole organism increases;

Decreased levels of cholesterol and sugar in blood plasma;

Stimulates the work of the liver, intestines, digestive organs.

In addition, walking allows you to get rid of stress, improves brain activity, tidies up the nervous system and promotes the production of endorphins - hormones of happiness.

Walking is a universal means of healing and strengthening the body. It is especially good for people weakened by disease or age and pregnant women. Doctors believe that for the general strengthening of the body, you need to walk 5-6 km daily at an average pace - not fast and not slow. When driving at a speed of 5 km / h, it will take 2 hours.

Where can I get this time? The easiest way is to go to work and come home from work on foot. In any case, you can just go one or two stops from your place of work or home.

How much do you need to walk a day to lose weight? To start the fat burning mechanism, you need to increase the speed to 6 or 7 km / h and move without stopping for at least an hour. If the weight is too large, then you can start with a half-hour walk.

British doctors believe that at least 10 thousand steps should be taken daily. The Japanese, by the way, follow this rule and are distinguished by good health and a higher life expectancy compared to Russians.

Walking is vital to the human body. This is the key to a long, healthy and happy life.

Greetings, dear readers. Let's talk today about walking and how much you need to walk a day? Yes, about walking, familiar to everyone since childhood, which helps to move from one point to another, especially at the moment when the car broke down.

Such a trendy walk

Once upon a time, walking was a natural way of getting around, and no one even thought about how much you need to walk a day. Now we are more and more looking at walking as a way to stay healthy.

At some point in time, walking became out of fashion. The accelerating life has created a remedy that optimally matches its rhythm and speed. The car appeared, if not in everyone, then at least in every family, even if it consists of one adult.

Walking couples began to be perceived as a kind of echo of the past, causing a slight smirk and nostalgia. The walking man, waving his briefcase in desperation, began to seem like some kind of awkward symbol of disorder and inability to adapt to a new life.

Walking has become the lot of athletes, the elderly, mothers with children. The natural need for movement either ceased to be satisfied at all, or found realization and embodiment in the gym.

walking

But just a few years ago, everything changed. Increasingly, questions began to arise whether it is useful to walk. People began to return to walking. True, they began to walk intermittently.

In order to get to work, home, the store, the gym, many continue to use cars. However, lunch breaks, an hour or two after work, half an hour in fitness classes, they began to devote to walking.

The return of interest in walking is connected, first of all, with anxiety about one's health. Increasingly, such an unpopular disease as hemorrhoids began to appear and develop, about which it is not customary to speak publicly. The consequences of hypodynamia lead to problems with breathing, the heart, and other organs.

Fact. Lack of movement has caused some mental disorders.

Over time, special gadgets appeared - pedometers, which allow you to count the number of steps taken, how many kilometers you have traveled, capable of correlating these data with the number of calories burned.

In offices, high schools, universities, they started talking about records and the recommended daily step rate. The most advanced users of gadgets, usually men, began to build graphs by day, month, paying attention to the trend, lamenting if they failed to achieve the required rate.

Other users began to use them as a watch, as a means of simply monitoring the number of steps taken, the pulse.

How much per day you need to walk: the benefits of walking

Like any moderate physical activity that is not associated with excessive sports loads, walking is good for health. Let's see what its benefits are.

Cardiologists draw attention to the fact that regular walking for at least an hour can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to studies, after 1-3 months from the start of regular walking, the body is restructured. A person may notice a decrease in heart rate, a decrease in blood pressure, and improved breathing.

The heart gets used to walking and begins to respond to it by normalizing its activity.

The second stage comes depending on the training of the person. After 12 months, or even earlier, you can notice an increase in muscle mass, a change in blood biochemistry.

So, its viscosity decreases, the level of cholesterol decreases. The body becomes less susceptible to infectious diseases, seasonal. The mental state is normalized, the ability to deal with stress increases.

Daily walks in the fresh air help the brain to receive more oxygen, which in turn leads to an improvement in thought processes, attention, and memory.

The risk of cerebrovascular accident, the appearance of blood clots, the occurrence of atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels is reduced.

The undoubted benefit of walking in the air lies in the natural replenishment of the body with vitamin D, which reduces the risk of developing cancer and improves bone density.

Fact. Regular walking, hiking, walking in parks, through the forest leads to new acquaintances and broadening one's horizons.

Not immediately, but gradually there is a normalization of weight. To lose weight, you need to walk fast. However, even a simple walk burns calories. The combination with promotes weight loss.

To find out the amount of energy spent, there are calculators. They are available on the Internet, they can be installed as an application on a smartphone.

Fact. Researchers have shown that to achieve benefits, an adult needs to walk a day no less than 10 thousand steps.

Usually, taking into account the movement at work, going to the store, to school for the child, a person walks about 3 thousand steps. Accordingly, to achieve the norm, you need to devote about one hour a day to walking.

Types of walking

You can walk in different ways. There are such types of walking:

on the buttocks;
on the knees;
On knees;
just like that, on foot;
in place;
Scandinavian;
sports;
On the stairs;
energy.

On foot

Actually, this is ordinary walking, to which we are accustomed from early childhood. A person moves at different speeds from one point to another. He can walk in circles, go to the store, park, downtown, hiking and hiking.

By the way, if in Russia little attention is paid to the latter today, then in Europe, Canada and the USA this is a whole layer of the tourism industry.

Companies develop walking routes of different lengths and organize individual and group trips. They may be associated with visits to natural and cultural attractions, organized picnics.

Simple walks along the sea, lake or river with swimming, entertainment, accompanied by walking barefoot are also possible.

On average, such hikes take the whole day, and their duration is 8-12 km, which exceeds the usual daily rate and leads to additional workload. They usually go to them without sticks, but sometimes they use special devices.

Walks are held even at night. By the way, this is an incomparable pleasure, and we advise you to go for a night walk at least once a year, especially on a new moon. The vast sky filled with billions of stars, the quiet whisper of trees, the cries of night birds will not leave indifferent even the most pragmatic people.

And what does it mean to get out at 3-4 in the morning in the summer and meet the dawn in the forest, along rivers and lakes? The rising sun illuminates the grass with its rays, makes it shine with emeralds, pierces the milky-white haze.

Such trips cannot be done every day, but if you get out at least once a month, and the rest of the days you walk in the park or near the house, the effect will be amazing.

On days when there is not much time, or if for some reason walking is not available, you can walk on the spot. For this, there are special simulators. They determine the number of steps, the distance traveled, and regulate the load.

Thus, walking on a treadmill will make it possible to track the implementation of the daily norm you set.

Advice. If the simulator is not available, you can simulate walking on any surface, for example, on the floor of a house. In this case, it is better to stock up on a pedometer and make sure that a sufficient number of steps have been taken.

On the stairs

There is an article already on the pages of our blog, but we will repeat a little.

Climbing the stairs is quite difficult for the average layman. Even experienced walkers can find it difficult to climb many steps at once.

Shortness of breath appears quickly enough, discomfort in the calf muscles, and the pulse quickens. Such walking is very useful for the prevention of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

It involves the work of more muscles, even those that play a passive role in normal walking.

In the early stages, a five-minute workout is enough, later the duration can reach 20 minutes.

Fact. Slow lifting allows you to strengthen the muscles. Accelerated helps to intensively burn calories.

However, walking on stairs, especially accelerated ones, has its limitations. It is not recommended to engage in it with injuries, severe varicose veins, hypertension, heart failure. Intense exercise can harm pregnant women.

Race walking

This sport has been an Olympic discipline for many years. But one should not think that it cannot be dealt with by ordinary people. On the contrary, it is very useful, it trains the muscles of the whole body, involving the muscles of the shoulders, arms, which is not enough for quiet walks.

Interesting. Experts say that 5 hours of brisk walking per week will reduce the risk of heart disease by 50%. When asked how many minutes you need to go to practice in the initial period, they answer that no more than 20.

energy walking

During energy walking, the speed of movement is somewhat lower than during sports walking.

The similarity lies in the active involvement of the arms and body. Movements are fast, lead to large expenditures of energy. It is possible to walk with or without sticks. Its peculiarity is that all movements are controlled.

With their help, the movement of energy flows occurs in accordance with Eastern practices. It resembles running, but at any given time, one of the feet is on the surface.

On knees

This type of walking appeared quite recently, but is gaining more and more popularity. Residents of one of the Chinese cities decided to replace running with walking on all fours.

They simply stand on straightened legs and arms and go. From their point of view, it allows you to reduce stress on the spine, strengthen muscles, get rid of diseases associated with upright posture: hemorrhoids, osteochondrosis, varicose veins.

Principles of walking

With any type of walking, it is important to follow certain principles:

Load correspond to the human condition.
Classes should be regular.
With any deterioration in the condition, the speed, intensity, duration of the load decreases. It is important to monitor blood pressure and pulse. The frequency of contractions should not exceed the calculated value obtained by the formula - 200-age. Otherwise, you can harm your health.
More calories are burned at high speed.
It is important to do it gradually, not immediately set records to achieve 10-15 thousand steps.
The back should always be straight.
It is better to warm up before brisk walking.
Clothing, shoes should be comfortable, especially when walking at high speed.

So, walking, regardless of its type, subject to the basic principles, will only benefit your body.

Choose the type of walking that is best for you, and a good mood, improved well-being, new impressions every day will decorate your life, make it fuller and richer.

We hope that the article on how much you need to walk a day was useful to you. Health and new achievements!

In modern life, many of us lead a sedentary, passive lifestyle. This may be due to work that requires a constant presence in the office at the computer, or simply with the reluctance of a modern person to bother himself with such a simple physical activity as walking. Another reason for the low mobility of people is the availability of a personal vehicle. According to some statistics, there are about 317 cars per 1000 inhabitants of the Russian Federation. It follows that almost every third citizen of Russia has a personal vehicle. There are times when the owner of the car begins to abuse the use of transport: he travels not only for long distances, but also to the nearest store, for example, for groceries. Of course, traveling by car is very convenient, but you should not use it everywhere, you should not forget about walking.

Benefits of walking. Why is walking useful?

Undoubtedly, walking is a very effective method of keeping the human body in good shape. Without exaggeration, we can say that regular walking is the simplest, but at the same time very effective tool for preventing weight gain with increasing age. Many systems of the body receive a healing effect from walking on foot.

Cardiovascular system and circulation

While walking on foot, blood circulation is significantly accelerated - oxygen delivery to the brain is faster. In this regard, the possibilities of mental activity increase, especially in comparison with being in a passive state. Walking is a kind of cardio training, so the work of the cardiovascular system improves, blood pressure normalizes. Quite often, walking is prescribed by doctors to people whose health is vulnerable and requires the prevention of many diseases.

Musculoskeletal system, bones and muscles

The beneficial effect of walking is also that they develop the musculoskeletal system, strengthen the bone structure. The delivery of the necessary anatomical fluids to a large muscle group is accelerated, which positively affects their full functioning.

Nervous system and emotional background

Walking is helpful. This will save you from bad mood, worries and mild depression. If your head is filled with negative thoughts, you are tired and feel weak, go for a walk. After a short promenade, you will feel relieved: all the accumulated negativity will disappear. At the same time, the general condition of the body will improve, since the experience of negative emotions is far from having the best effect on the state of mental and physical health.

The immune system

Walking is a kind of exercise. Many people know that sports have a strengthening effect on the immune system. The body becomes stronger, more resilient and less susceptible to various viral attacks. Walking is a very effective way to protect yourself from various diseases.

In order for physical activity to really help maintain health and get rid of certain diseases, you need to know how much they should be present in a person’s life. Therefore, ask yourself how much you need to walk per day. Experts give a mark - a person needs thirty minutes a day. It is worth noting that this figure is suitable for people who are in normal physical shape, have no contraindications and other restrictions. However, this indicator is relative, since it depends on several factors.

Firstly, it is the current physical well-being and state of human health. There are cases when walking may even be contraindicated due to a number of reasons (for example, the recovery period after a fracture, bruise or sprain). If a person who led a too passive lifestyle (the last time physical exercises were performed only at school, in a physical education lesson), firmly decided to take regular walks, then you will need to start with a minimum time mark, gradually increasing it.
Secondly, the age of a person is an equally significant factor that should be taken into account. The daily temporary norm for young people can be more than the figure for the elderly by about one and a half times. This is due to the level of physical capabilities of a person, depending on age. Excessive loads can have a detrimental effect on an aging body, so you should follow the measure and not abuse the ability to walk.

For each individual, there may be other individual restrictions and contraindications. It is worth taking care of your body and counting your strength. Great, if you talk to your doctor about how much to walk a day for you. So you can avoid unwanted consequences and use the resources of your body as efficiently as possible.

What types of walking are there?

It would seem that the simplest and most uncomplicated activity is walking, but it can be very different.

Ordinary walking. This type is used by most people everywhere. An example would be a regular walk in the fresh air.
Wellness walking. This type implies the presence of a set of rules and restrictions, for example, the number of steps per minute (or km / h) and the distance to be covered. Such walking, in turn, may have an internal classification - slow, medium, fast, etc.
Walking for weight loss. Surely you have repeatedly wondered: how much to walk to lose weight? So, the technology of this type is aimed mainly at losing excess weight. It is worth saying that for overweight people who begin to engage in this type of walking, initial adaptation is necessary. A large excess weight will be a significant obstacle and difficulty, so it is necessary to increase the load in stages. Walking for weight loss can be made as effective as possible by using various reinforcing techniques. For example, you can climb up, i.e. move at an angle, use leg weights, a backpack with a load, etc.
Nordic walking. This type is currently very popular among the elderly. Nordic walking involves movement with repulsion from the ground with two sticks, one in each hand (mainly ski sticks). In this case, a significant load occurs not only on the legs, but also on the muscles of the hands. Nordic walking provides a load on 90% of the muscles of the body, therefore, most of the calories are burned compared to an ordinary load.
Race walking rightfully considered a full-fledged sport. International competitions are held in this discipline. The essence of this type can be reflected as follows: you need to move as quickly as possible, but do not run. This walking involves a special technique - the arms must be bent at the elbows, the steps must be taken wide. Professional athletes develop quite a lot of speed, while from the side the process of movement looks very elegant and technical. You can engage in this type of walking with good physical fitness, after consulting with a therapist. It is important to say that this sport is contraindicated for people with flat feet. With this disease, the load is distributed incorrectly - an irreversible disease of the legs may develop.

Which place to choose for regular hiking?

For regular walks, a quiet quiet place is very suitable. One of these places might be:

Forest. The most positive impact on human health is being in harmony with nature. Fresh forest air, woody interior and birdsong, combined with walking, contribute to maximum emotional unloading and healing of the body.
A park. If you do not have the opportunity to get into the forest, then a city park may be good for a walk. It is usually a quiet place with a green interior that allows you to collect your thoughts.
Embankment. Another great place to walk on foot can be the embankment. Walking along the pond is a very relaxing activity. It's great if the embankment in your city is located on the seashore. Due to saturation with sea air, the healing effect will be maximum.

Of course, you can choose any other place convenient for you.

Summing up

So, we figured out whether it is useful to walk. Doing this sport or not, it's up to you. But if you decide to pay attention to this, then be sure to analyze everything and decide how much you need to walk on foot.

Modern living conditions are increasingly disposing a person to a minimum amount of walking.

More and more people now work in offices, at home, many people have a car, so walking is reduced to a minimum.

This leads to such a concept as physical inactivity, as a result of which a person begins to have all sorts of health problems.

So, how many steps should a person take per day?

How many steps should a person take per day: research results

According to the results of the study, which was conducted by American, Canadian, Australian and French experts, general standards were established about how many steps each person should take to control their weight.

“Recommendations for all age groups were combined, but in the case of women, things are a bit more complicated,” says Anders Raustorp, one of the team of scientists who decided to conduct the study. As it turned out, for men and women under 50 who want to control their own weight, walking 10,000 steps (as previously recommended) daily will not be enough.

In total, more than 3,000 healthy adults aged 19 to 94 years old, including 974 men, took part in the studies. The average age of the participants was 47 years. Previously, a team of researchers established recommendations for children aged 6 to 12 years, in which girls needed to walk 12,000 steps, and boys - 15,000 steps daily.

Also, according to the results of the study, it was found that if a person has a clearly set goal, and he writes down all his small victories in a notebook, then his activity 4 months after the start of training is 27% higher than that of the rest of the group. That is, goal setting is the key to success.

How many kilometers should a person walk a day: where to start?

So, if you decide to take up walking, start with small distances. For example, if you are traveling to work by public transport, you can get off 1-2 stops earlier. To do this, pre-calculate the time for how long you will cover the entire distance, and in a couple of weeks you will be able to see the first positive changes after such ten-minute morning sessions.

When you start walking, you do not need to rush and try to set some kind of time or speed record. The distance should be increased gradually, adding 100-150 meters to it daily. Try to get the maximum of positive emotions from walking.

So that nothing interferes with your little trips, plan your route in advance, it is desirable that it passes through quiet streets away from noise. For walking, choose the most comfortable and light shoes.

How many kilometers a person should walk per day: the benefits of walking

Since all people are different, naturally they also differ in parameters (weight, equipment, step length, health strength, and so on), when training, it is better to focus not on distance, but on time. To improve the body, doctors advise walking daily for 30-60 minutes, adhering to an average pace. The effect of recovery is rather extended in time, however, this method remains the most stable. Serious results can be seen in about 12-15 weeks (with classes 3-4 times a week).

In addition, walking is a very affordable and at the same time very simple physical exercise, which also has a lot of positive effects for your health, such as:

improved metabolism;

improving blood circulation and increasing oxygen content in it;

strengthening bones, muscles, joints;

increase in the general tone of the body;

lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels;

normalization of blood pressure;

prevention of most cardiovascular diseases;

Walking releases endorphins (the hormone of happiness), which improves mood and helps fight stress.

increasing the overall level of performance and resistance to mental stress;

stimulation of the liver, digestive glands and gastrointestinal tract.

Where and how much to walk?

The most important benefit of walking as an exercise is its simplicity. When walking, there is no need to allocate any special time, since each person already moves from home to work, study or to the supermarket for shopping. You can also take a walk in the park before going to bed or get up one stop earlier from work.

To keep the body in good shape, every day you need to pass at least 30-40 minutes. You should not be limited to some limits on mileage per day, since all people are different, therefore there is a generally accepted norm that all experts recommend adhering to - 12 thousand steps. For the elderly, this rate is somewhat reduced and amounts to 8-10 thousand steps per day.

If you are watching your figure and would like to lose a few extra pounds, walking should be done intensively. Sports walking is perfect, and daily. It should take at least an hour and a half, it is also good to alternate fast and slow pace. Do not take long distances at once, start with short ones, gradually increasing the distance. It is best to break up your walks in time throughout the day for 20-25 minutes.

For walking, the most suitable places are parks, embankments, streets with minimal traffic. For pregnant women, walking has two sides of the coin. On the one hand, walking can improve blood circulation and strengthen the musculoskeletal system, on the other hand, the load on the legs for women is much greater, so you need to rely on your feelings. Conclusion - walking for pregnant women is useful, but only if it leads to overwork and other inconveniences.

That's all you need to know about the properties of walking. Do not forget that a person is individual, and it is not always appropriate to equal the norm, everyone may have their own standards.