By Nathan Thomas 10,000 too many? New studies by the NHS and the BBC have revealed that young adults now must make 10,000 steps a day. According to NHS health, the average person walks, runs or jogs 3000 to 4000 steps a day, less than half the required amount to keep a healthy rate of exercise. With lectures, seminars and part-time work to worry about for a student, is 10,000 steps achievable? Five miles is approximately 10,000 steps- or in Kingston terms- a straight walk to Esher or to Hampton Court and back. These are too daunting for anyone of any age, regardless of how nice the weather is.
How could it be achieved? Gym instructor, Rueben Santar is based in Southampton and works at The Gym, the same gym chain as Kingston’s branch in the centre of town. The 20-year-old said: “I don’t know how many steps can be achieved in a typical workout but I usually base my plans for students depending on what they want to achieve.” “If they want to just keep healthy then I would not necessarily stress about making the steps, just make sure you’re active for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week.” “If you’re thinking about distance you can achieve 5 miles quite easily on different machines, I think a light jog would probably take you about 20 minutes on the treadmill, and I usually make people cycle about 10-15 minutes to reach 5 miles.” Rueben also said how effective stretching could still be as beneficial as being active, some simple stretches can be seen in this video:
‘The 10,000 steps myth’ An article from The Telegraph says the 10,000 step goal is doing “More harm than good.” Dr Hager told delegates at the American Association for the Advancements of Science this: ““But why is 10,000 steps important? Is that the right number for any of you in this room? Who knows? It’s just a number that’s now built into the apps.” Dr Hager also told BBC Newsbeat that “Very few experts have proved the 10,000 steps myth,” "Turns out in 1960 in Japan they figured out that the average Japanese man, when he walked 10,000 steps a day, burned something like 3,000 calories and that is what they thought the average person should consume. So they picked 10,000 steps as a number."
CreditWays to monitor 10,000 · If you own an Iphone, the health app on your phone will roughly tell you the amount of steps you take a day, its handy if you always have your phone on you. · You could buy a fitbit, although pricey and provides an effective goal of producing regular steps · The best way of counting steps could be on Amazon, cheap pocket-sized step counters can be found for as little as £1.99 From left to right: Step counter, Fitbit and the health app. Credit: Amazon.co.uk and Apple