8 easy ways to get more steps into your day
A new study, led by academics from the University of Sydney in Australia, suggests the actual number to aim for is a more manageable 7,000 steps.
Advertisement
The researchers examined data from dozens of studies from around the world on tens of thousands of adults, and found that people who walked 7,000 steps each day appeared to have a protective effect against a number of diseases including: a 25 per cent lower risk of heart disease; a 14 per cent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes; a 38 per cent decrease in dementia and a 22 per cent reduction in depression.
Furthermore, when people walked 7,000 daily steps, compared to walking 2,000 steps, they were 47 per cent less likely to die during the follow-up periods of the studies analysed.
However, the experts noted that '10,000 steps per day will still be better than 7,000 steps' – with the higher step count leading to more health benefits. So, what are some easy ways to increase our average daily step count? We consulted a fitness expert to find out…
1. Park further away
Don't choose the closest spot
'People tend to park in the nearest possible place to their office and spend a fortune on parking, but often the cheaper or free parking spots are further away,' says Andy Carr, a personal trainer. 'Choose a parking spot further from the entrance. It might only add a minute or two to your walk, but over the course of a week, it makes a difference.
Advertisement
'If you have a designated parking spot, I recommend getting to work 15 to 20 minutes early and going for a walk around the block. Give yourself that extra time to get your steps in rather than rushing into work.'
2. Take walking meetings
Try doing some of your meetings on the move
'We like to take our meetings out on the road when we're in the office,' says Carr. 'Walking meetings are particularly good for in-person meetings. We have a couple of parks near our office, so we often go for walks around one of those during a meeting.
'It gets everyone moving, means we are getting some fresh air and gets everyone off to a good start of the week. If the meeting is online, just pop some headphones in and go for a stroll.'
3. Set a timer to move every hour
'A gentle reminder to stand up and take a short walk every 60 minutes can really boost your NEAT movement,' says Carr. 'NEAT movement stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, which basically means all the calories you burn through everyday activities that aren't structured exercise all add up and play a huge role in overall health and weight management.
Advertisement
'If you've got a day stacked with calls, and you've got a five-minute break at the end of them, get up and have a stretch and go for a walk around the house or the office.'
4. Buy a walking pad
Walking pads can be easily integrated into a home or office environment
'Walking pads are booming in popularity,' says Carr. 'You can use them when you are having a meeting and don't need your camera on, or when you are watching TV. They are a great way to get some movement and extra steps in during activities that you'd usually be sedentary for.'
5. Use the stairs
'It sounds simple but choosing stairs over lifts or escalators is a quick way to boost your step count and get your heart rate up at the same time,' says Carr.
6. Walk during TV time
'Try pacing during ad breaks or marching on the spot while watching your favourite show,' recommends Carr. 'It might feel a bit odd at first but it's an easy way to move more without sacrificing your downtime.'
Advertisement
7. Make chores count
Mowing gets you moving and gets your heart pumping
Housework and gardening are great opportunities for extra movement.
'A lot of people save all their housework and chores for the weekend, but I recommend spreading them out across the week so you get some movement at the end of your work day,' suggests Carr. 'There's various different jobs around the house that can all add to your step count activity such as hoovering, cleaning and mowing the lawn.'
8. Get social with your steps
Catch up during a walk in the park
'Instead of meeting a friend for coffee or a meal, suggest a walk instead,' recommends Carr. 'It's a great way to catch up, get some fresh air and move at the same time.
'You can also go to a pub, but adding in a walk beforehand helps you get some extra activity in. I'd also recommend going to a local parkrun as they are a great opportunity to socialise with new, like-minded people that are interested in being active.'
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
If we're serious about protecting pregnancies, we need to stop spraying pesticides
As a biochemist trained in environmental health, I was relieved to see coverage of pesticide exposure and pregnancy risk (Exposure to a mix of pesticides raises risk of pregnancy complications, study suggests, 19 July). But one key detail is missing: food is not the main route of exposure for most women, especially in urban environments. While dietary pesticide levels are regulated, many studies – including urine biomonitoring – have shown less difference in pesticide load between children eating organic and conventional diets in cities than we would expect. Why? Because exposure is happening elsewhere. Pesticides are being sprayed by building managers, neighbours, city governments and businesses – on sidewalks, in apartment hallways, in parks, and even indoors. Many women are exposed without ever handling these chemicals themselves. In fact, a 2020 study found that urban women who used pesticides at home had the same increased risk of birth defects as women exposed to farm drift: a threefold increase in holoprosencephaly, one of the most common birth defects in the US. We must shift the conversation beyond food. These chemicals are in the air women breathe and the homes they live in – often without their knowledge or consent. If we're serious about protecting pregnancies, we need to stop the ShaveOlympia, Washington, US
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
This fuzzy animal friend may be the key to treating schizophrenia
Llamas – likely without red pajamas – may hold the key to treating schizophrenia. The serious brain disorder causes people to interpret reality abnormally, and affects approximately 3.7 million U.S. adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years old, according to the nonprofit RTI International. But the domesticated South American woolly animal might be be able to help. French researchers said this week that they had used llama antibodies, or proteins that help to protect the immune system, to design a tiny fragment of an antibody known as a 'nanobody' that will trigger a neurotransmitter in the brain involved in regulating neural activity. Neurotransmitters are chemical molecules that carry messages or signals from one nerve cell to the next target cell, according to the Cleveland Clinic. No llamas were harmed in the study and researchers can identify nanobodies in a petri dish. In the past, llama antibodies have also proven effective in fighting Covid and other 'SARS-like' viruses. When scientists at the Institute of Functional Genomics injected the molecule into the veins or the muscles, it was able to break the blood-brain barrier and effectively reach brain receptors. The barrier is a a tightly locked layer of cells that defend your brain from harmful substances. Studying the impact of the nanobodies in two tests using mice, the researchers found that they corrected cognitive deficits that were observed. There was an improvement of cognitive function with just one shot, and a prolonged effect over one week. Clinical studies are now required to show that their findings could be a new avenue of treatment for schizophrenia. "In humans obviously we don't know [yet], but in mice yes, it is sufficient to treat most deficits of schizophrenia," molecular biologist Jean-Philippe Pin told Newsweek.. He was a co-author of the research which was published in the journal Nature. Pin said that medications currently given to schizophrenia patients "treat the symptoms well, but less the cognitive deficits." The cause of the chronic condition remains unknown, but the World Health Organization says it is thought that an interaction between genes and a range of environmental factors may be the reason. The exact prevalence of schizophrenia is difficult to measure. Some have tied cases in Canada to cannabis use. Although schizophrenia can occur at any age, people are typically diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 30. Symptoms vary from person to person. There is no cure, but it can be treated through antipsychotic medications, talk therapy, and self-management strategies, the National Alliance on Mental Illness says. The study's authors hope to add this strategy to the list. 'This research confirms the potential of nanobodies as a new therapeutic strategy for acting on the brain, with their use eventually being broadened to include the treatment of other neurological illnesses,' the institute said in a statement.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Changed my life': hepatitis treatment offers hope but not enough receiving care, report finds
In 1989 David Clune was a young dad with four children when he was diagnosed with hepatitis B and C. Being told he wouldn't get to see them grow up 'was like a spear went through my heart', he remembers. Clune is not sure how he contracted the virus. However, entering state care in New Zealand at the age of 10, he experienced abuse and neglect as he was cycled through eight different homes, three youth detention centres, one adult remand centre and a psychiatric hospital, and was exposed to shared needles for tattooing and drugs. Clune quit drugs when he was 17 after meeting his long-term partner Grace and focused on their young family and working in a farming community. But life in the community became untenable after the stigma of Clune's diagnosis came at the same time as the Aids epidemic. 'They didn't have the understanding as they do now. It was that horrific that the children that used to play with my children in the community were no longer allowed to.' Clune progressively became sicker. 'I was a dying young dad – my organs were all failing, my kidney, my liver, my heart was under stress, everything. I was in really bad shape.' Sign up: AU Breaking News email In 1992, in the face of stigma, Clune's family emigrated to Brisbane with only $180. When he got to Australia his doctor referred him to the hepatology unit at Princess Alexandria hospital. 'Those guys changed my life,' he says. 'They knew what I'd been through and they built my trust. And when they built my trust, they built my health.' Clune is among the 300,000 people in Australia who live with hepatitis B and hepatitis C – viruses that affect the liver and which, without treatment, can lead to liver disease and liver cancer. For Clune and others, life has become significantly better now there is a cure for hepatitis C and treatment for hepatitis B, but a new report shows many people aren't receiving this care because they don't realise they are at risk or are disconnected from care. Released by Hepatitis Australia on Monday, it shows how hepatitis of all types is distributed among a typical 100 people affected. It concludes that 69 of those 100 people are living with hepatitis B, which is overwhelmingly the most prevalent blood-borne virus in Australia. The remaining 24 are living with hepatitis C, four are living with both hepatitis B and D, and three are living with hepatitis B and hepatitis C. However, only one in three people living with hepatitis B know they have it, and more than half are not receiving the care they need to appropriately monitor their liver health and viral load, and determine if and when antiviral treatment should commence, the report found. Most people (70 out of 100) with hepatitis B were born overseas, according to the report, titled 'If hepatitis was 100 people'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'While people born in Australia since the year 2000 (when hepatitis B vaccinations began being routinely offered) are protected, people born before then, or those born overseas could be living with the virus and not know it because the symptoms often aren't obvious until the liver is severely damaged,' Lucy Clynes, the chief executive of Hepatitis Australia, said. The number of people living with hepatitis C has more than halved since 2016 when unrestricted access to direct-acting antiviral cures became available, but the uptake of the cure has declined 'significantly' since then, the report found. Stigma and discrimination associated with injecting drug use remains a barrier for all people living with hepatitis C in accessing treatment, the report stated. Out of 100 people with hepatitis C, 84 no longer inject drugs or contracted the disease in other ways. Clynes said the work to ensure people who inject drugs are receiving the cure has been effective, 'which is why we're seeing a change in the population'. The people who contracted hepatitis C in other ways – which could be unsafe tattooing, receiving a blood transfusion before 1990 (when screening was introduced) or getting a medical or dental procedure in a country with poor blood safety regulations, are less likely to be interacting with medical services, Clynes said. The report says population-wide testing should be carried out urgently, along with targeted education, and culturally safe care pathways – otherwise Australia will not meet its commitment to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030, in line with global WHO targets.
