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Start walking now
One of our readers, Mr. Manoranjan Rao, had a specific query regarding the article on walking we published in The Hindu, April 13. He wrote in to say, “It was with great pleasure that I read your excellent article on walking. I am rather surpri
sed that you have not mentioned anything about the age except saying that a person above 40 needs medical clearance. What I would like to know is your prescription for the elderly. For example, I would like to know if the minimum of 10,000 steps per day also applies to senior citizens (above, say, 65). Or, would you recommend a different regimen for them?
Dr. Sheela Nambiar replies:
Thank you for your response to my article. I think your query is very pertinent and I will do my best to answer it.
10,000 steps/day is not a magic number but only a guideline. As I mentioned, most of us adults cover only about 3,000-4,000 steps per day. There is no real body of research however that mandates 10,000 steps. One study showed that taking 6,000 steps was also good in preventing cardiovascular disease.
By and large:
Taking under 5,000 steps/day is indicative of a “sedentary” lifestyle;
5,000- 7,500 steps is indicative of a “somewhat active” lifestyle that includes adequate daily activity (such as household activities and some amount of exercise);
7,500-10,000 steps is indicative of an “fairly active” lifestyle;
10,000 steps a day is indicative of an “Active” lifestyle;
More than 10,000 steps/day is considered “Highly active”;
Children need more than 12,000 steps/day.
The elderly need to first assess how many steps they currently walk and make gradual increments of about 10,000 to 20,000 steps per week. They may not ultimately be able to reach a 10,000 steps/day mark, but the objective is more to increase activity. Even 6,000/day has been found to be adequate for elderly.
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