A new study examines the health benefits of walking every day for women.
I-Min Lee M.D., Sc.D. has studied the various ways to improve the health of older women.
Finding time and motivation in order to workout can prove difficult. However, I-Min Lee M.D., Sc.D. is looking to change the way we consider exercise, particularly when we get older.
For instance, you can take the stairs instead of going on the treadmill. For example, Dr. Lee is a National Institute on Ageing supported researcher, who is studying the importance of physical activity in improving health and in preventing chronic illness. She shared recent research studies that examine the importance of steps in improving the health of women who are older. Already she together with her team have observed that small actions can have a significant impact.
What made you interested in studying the connection between the number of steps you take and your health?
Pedometers, or devices that measure the amount of steps you’ve taken have been in use for a long time. They were in the past only those who looked for them owned one. Nowadays, this technology is integrated into everyday gadgets, such as watches and mobile phones. They can automatically track your movement and make this information accessible to a wider audience.
My hospital held a competition in which teams were formed and competed to collect more steps. A lot of my team members were older women and 10,000 steps a day, the typical goal of many devices – just was not feasible for the majority of them. I was interested in finding out the amount of steps that would actually help improve health.
What is the origin of this 10,000-step target begin?
In 1965 in 1965, the Japanese firm was selling pedometers. They gave it the name that translated in “the 10,000-step meter.” It’s believed that they chose the number due to they believed the Japanese symbol for the number 10,000 appears somewhat like a human walking. This number was basically an advertising tool, not any data based.
Can you provide us with information what you learned from the research?
The study examined women who are over 65, their step count and mortality [or the impact on the time they liveand their impact on how long they lived. We provided them with devices that measure their daily steps regardless of whether they were taking an outside walk or walking between their bedrooms. We found that women who walked the equivalent of 4,400 steps per day experienced a significantly lower mortality rate when compared to less-active women, who took an average of 2700 steps per day. The more steps women did and the less they walked, they had a lower mortality or mortality rate. Also, we discovered that risk reduction levels plateaued at around 7,500 steps per day. so taking more than 7,500 could have health benefits in addition to the steps but it didn’t affect the mortality of women.
What else did you learn?
We also discovered how fast women walked did not affect their mortality rates. If two people took 5,000 steps, one walking and the other by speed walking, their mortality rates were identical. This indicates that for women over 50 that all steps count regardless of the speed.
Do you have something else you’d like to see more people know about fitness?
I believe there’s an image of shame or stigma associated with the term “exercise” among certain age groups, including older adults. Many people believe that exercising is only for those younger or athletic. They believe it’s all about exercising and running. This puts most people off. People are frightened of the term “exercise.” I believe referring the term as “physical activity” is better. Physical activity refers to any body movement caused by a muscle. Physical activity can be anything that moves you. It’s accessible to everyone and doesn’t need to be an exercise you plan.