A study reveals that taking 4,500 steps a day could help you live longer.
Experts from the University of North Carolina have explored how walking more could actually lead to a longer life.
As per Elite Readers, the researchers observed 16,732 women over the age of 60 in the period between 2011 and 2015. All of them were provided with waist step counters daily for four to seven days straight.
The specialists discovered that the women who took 4,500 steps and more per day drastically decreased their risk of dying in the next six years. Epidemiology doctoral student Christopher C. Moore, the leader of the study, explained:
“Technological advances made in recent decades have allowed researchers to measure short spurts of activity. In the past, we were limited to only measuring activities people could recall on a questionnaire.
With the help of wearable devices, more research is indicating that any type of movement is better than remaining sedentary.”
Compared to the least active women participating in the research, those who took more than 4,500 steps while performing daily activities such as housework, taking the stairs, or walking to or from a car had “a significantly lower risk of death.”
The study also acknowledges that not all people can fit regular exercise into their schedules. Moore suggests:
“Older adults face many barriers to participating in structured exercise programs, so some may find it more convenient and enjoyable to increase everyday walking behaviors, like parking slightly further from their destination or doing some extra housework or yard work.”
Do you use an app to count your daily steps? What’s your average score? Are you planning on improving it after reading this article? Let us know in the comment section!
