Glad to see these results. It’s always great to find levers of health that are free. If you aren’t walking much, start small and work your way up slowly. In the beginning, the habit is more important than the duration.
I love to get out and fast walk for up to 60 minutes daily...and I was doing it on a daily basis, until the nearby forest fires were putting lots of smoke particles into the air, so I started using my daughter's treadmill. She usually helped me use it. One day I decided to do it myself...to my detriment. I have not being able to go out and walk now for a month. I hit the wrong button and it sped up...and I landed on the floor. No broken bones, but I really scraped up my legs. My daughter has been treating me and I am getting to the point, where I can get back to walking by next week. I know movement is so important...It is physically and mentally uplifting for the body and mind.
Perhaps Secretary Kennedy will recommend that employees are given a 30 minute walking period each day- seems a lot more important than a coffee break! Employers can also incentivize their employees to show they are also walking an additional 30 minutes on their own time. An hour daily would have a significant impact on their health!
I don't believe a vibration machine would improve overall health. It's great for osteoporosis however as it has been proven to increase bone density. I'm suggesting something that improves overall fitness/health by way of cardiac health and weight reduction. I'm not familiar with a pressure plate however.
Hello Dr. Hulscher. Thank you for your hard work and excellent articles.
What do you suggest for those that cannot walk distances? I’m permanently disabled following an MVA caused by a drunk driver several years ago. My right foot was crushed so badly it was nearly amputated [calcaneus is donated human cadaver bone]. 5-6 surgeries were required to rebuild my foot. My left hip is a total hip replacement/revision. I cannot walk 7,000 steps daily, but would like to be as strong and healthy as possible.
Yes, the buoyancy and resistance of water are excellent for exercise, except it’s not practical on a daily basis. I don’t have a swimming pool and cannot go to a gym or public swimming pool every day or even 4x/week.
The benefits accrue the more you do it - but nobody is forcing you.
What seems to be the case is that intense swimming for very short periods is the way to get fit and lose weight, rather than doing it more often and for longer.
Dr Al Sears is very good on this topic, he has a website and sends out regular emails with suggestions for health.
His technique is called PACE, ie progressively accelerating cardiopulmonary exercise, others call it HIIT.
You just have to find something that's as easy, accessible, and enjoyable as possible, and stick with it.
Maybe an exercise bike or a rowing machine.
I wonder how many steps you CAN walk daily?
Generally speaking, this number can be increased gradually.
I’ve heard of HIIT. I’m not sure how to apply it to my situation.
I have an exercise bike, but hope to hear Dr. Hulscher’s thoughts on exercise that would equal walking 7,000 steps/day.
Increasing the number of steps/day gradually does not apply to my situation. This isn’t simply a matter of stamina, but about the nature of the physical damage I experienced; my right foot was crushed so badly the calcaneus was vacuumed out and replaced with donated cadaver bone. My left hip was crushed and is a total hip replacement and revision. Not only is there major, irreversible damage, but it’s on both sides, left and right. I also have severe lumbar spinal curvature that may be related. I don’t know how that developed. Uneven hips following the total hip replacement? idk. I cannot walk distances.
There is no one size fits all where injured bodies are concerned.
You simply have to find something that you enjoy doing, and keep doing it.
Some may be able to walk 8K steps a day, but give up, whereas you may be able to walk far less, but you keep doing it, so eventually, you overtake the uninjured person in terms of your health prospects.
Do what you can, when you can, and with as much enjoyment from it as you can.
That's the best anybody can do.
Maybe acquire a small dog to encourage you to walk a small distance every day, when your own enthusiasm might be having an off day.
As for HIIT, it simply means that within your own limits, you stress your body aerobically for a set period of 45 seconds or so; rest for maybe 20, then repeat, up to four or five or six more times - then leave it for a couple of days, and repeat.
Dr Sears did what he called the "Twin" study; he took two identical twin sisters and had them both eat the same, but one continued her daily quite long running sessions, and the other spent about 20% of the time in high-energy running bursts; after a couple of weeks the latter had lost significantly more weight than the former.
contrology doesn't require jumping, almost all of the moves, done in sequence, are from the floor (mat).
Contrology: Revised Edition for the 21st Century Paperback – June 21, 2012
First published in 1945, Pilates' Return to Life Through Contrology contains the authorized, legal, edited, and original Library of Congress version of Joseph H. Pilates' and William J. Miller's first complete fitness writings. It details the exercises, poses, and instructions fundamental to the matwork developed by Joseph and Clara Pilates. Based on his concepts of a balanced body and mind, and drawn from the approach espoused by the early Greeks, these are the exercises that continue to sustain a worldwide revolution in fitness strategies and exercise techniques. Joseph Pilates has been nothing short of revolutionary in his impact on the world of fitness and exercise. Readers will learn and view the original 34 exercises that Pilates taught to his students,
Don't be concerned about what you can't do. Just do what you can. However you can.
IMMENSELY SORRY for the HORRIBLE suffering you have and continue to endure due to someone else's addiction.
PRAYING that ALMIGHTY GOD carries you through each minute with His wisdom, guidance, comfort, strength, healing and joy as ONLY He can....
Physical therapists have provided me guidance regarding effective/safe methods of exercising through the years when I have been injured. Hopefully an excellent PT could guide you too?
I GREATLY ADMIRE your Warrioress spirit in choosing to FOCUS on living the best life possible under EXTREMELY DIFFICULT circumstances! YOU are a role model and inspiration for all....🙏🕊🙏
I can confirm that sedentary lifestyle is bad for my health. I was getting less than 2000 steps a day and had a Pulmatory emboism 2 months ago, likely originating in my legs from deep vein thrombosis according to the doctor (standard line). So I am now up to 5000 and working my way towards 10000 plus which I was doing 10 years ago.
I am on apixiban and have to be careful how many other blood thinning suppliments I take as I also take tumeric, bromelain and eat kale which help thin the blood. Thanks for the tip though as one of the great things about being on substack is the wealth of knowledge I learn from others.
I love walking every day. I learned many, many, many years ago that it was a key to my mental stability. However, I wonder if these studies accounted for healthy subject bias? Physically and mentally healthy people tend to make healthy choices to begin with; don’t get me wrong, I agree that adding a walking regime would be very uplifting for the depressed and unhealthy population. The first step is motivation and people are so individual in what gets them going. It is a challenge.
I'd love to know the indoor exercise bike equivalent as when winter comes its hard to walk here.
I will also step on the electrified third rail of walking. This does not include hiking.
I know alot of 10000 steps a day people. They're normal
I know people that do 15000-20000 steps a day people. Most of them have mental health issues. You know they arent right. Lots of different off personality quirks
Yes walking is good but I wonder how much the individual doing the walking plays into this. It is not a one-size-fits-all supposition. Lumping yourself into a 1 million person group is silly. There are a thousand other factors to be considered.
Maybe for some people, 3,000 steps will make as much difference. I hate these percentage breakdowns because they are relatively meaningless. So we can conclude that walking 15,000 steps might reduce your cause of dying from anything by 80-90%. With 25,000 steps, you will never die.
Well so far today, according to the "Health" app on my phone, I've taken 3,369 steps, or 1.3 miles. So to get to 7,000 steps, I would need another 1.4 or 1.5 miles. It's currently 93 degrees out with 60% humidity or 96 degrees heat index. (I'm near the Gulf coast.) Not likely I'll do that; maybe half that at sunset.
Used to do 1.5 to 2 miles on a banana before breakfast. (There's a hike & bike trail in the park across the street from my front door.) Since dealing with Covid followed by a heart attack and atrial flutter a couple of years ago, not quite up to that yet. With cardiac rehab 3 times a week plus HIIT workouts twice a week, and good protein sources every 2 or 3 hours, I'm still chugging along at 78. I guess God's not finished with me being here yet.
Not sure where you're getting your step-to-distance calculations from -- I'm a 67-year-old baggy saggy female, and over the past 12 months I have averaged 6,500 steps, or 2.3 miles, per day. This averages my normal days (two 30 minute walks, morning and evening) with days where I'm doing something like travelling by car or plane that cuts into my routine. It's more than doable on a regular basis, and on days when I have the time and the weather is good I will often walk 11-12K steps just because I enjoy it.
Pro tip -- this all becomes much easier, and much more likely you will adhere to a regular schedule, if you have a dog. A lab-husky mutt is a great choice, because walking such a dog an hour a day turns him from borderline psychotic to the best boi ever.
I am 80. I will settle for a mile on a good day😆
Glad to see these results. It’s always great to find levers of health that are free. If you aren’t walking much, start small and work your way up slowly. In the beginning, the habit is more important than the duration.
How far is 7000 steps?
A typical 5′11″ tall man has a stride length of 29.465 inches
Based on this stride length:
Length of 7,000 Steps
3.255 miles
5.239 kilometers
17,190 feet
5,239 meters
https://www.calculateme.com/step-calculator/7000?gender=male&feet=5&inches=11
Results
A typical 5′11″ tall man has a stride length of 29.465 inches
Based on this stride length:
Length of 10,000 Steps
4.650 miles
7.484 kilometers
24,550 feet
7,484 meters
The average walking speed of a 60 yo man is 3 mph. That’s an hour for 7,000 steps, or 1.5 for 10,000 steps.
The ancients had this taped.
7000 steps is once round the Great Pyramid of Giza.
THANK YOU, Mr. Hulscher, for sharing this info especially since walking is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to exercise!
I love to get out and fast walk for up to 60 minutes daily...and I was doing it on a daily basis, until the nearby forest fires were putting lots of smoke particles into the air, so I started using my daughter's treadmill. She usually helped me use it. One day I decided to do it myself...to my detriment. I have not being able to go out and walk now for a month. I hit the wrong button and it sped up...and I landed on the floor. No broken bones, but I really scraped up my legs. My daughter has been treating me and I am getting to the point, where I can get back to walking by next week. I know movement is so important...It is physically and mentally uplifting for the body and mind.
Perhaps Secretary Kennedy will recommend that employees are given a 30 minute walking period each day- seems a lot more important than a coffee break! Employers can also incentivize their employees to show they are also walking an additional 30 minutes on their own time. An hour daily would have a significant impact on their health!
How about steps on a pressure plate or vibration machine?
I don't believe a vibration machine would improve overall health. It's great for osteoporosis however as it has been proven to increase bone density. I'm suggesting something that improves overall fitness/health by way of cardiac health and weight reduction. I'm not familiar with a pressure plate however.
Hello Dr. Hulscher. Thank you for your hard work and excellent articles.
What do you suggest for those that cannot walk distances? I’m permanently disabled following an MVA caused by a drunk driver several years ago. My right foot was crushed so badly it was nearly amputated [calcaneus is donated human cadaver bone]. 5-6 surgeries were required to rebuild my foot. My left hip is a total hip replacement/revision. I cannot walk 7,000 steps daily, but would like to be as strong and healthy as possible.
Thank you.
Swimming is probably the way forward for you.
Yes, the buoyancy and resistance of water are excellent for exercise, except it’s not practical on a daily basis. I don’t have a swimming pool and cannot go to a gym or public swimming pool every day or even 4x/week.
The benefits accrue the more you do it - but nobody is forcing you.
What seems to be the case is that intense swimming for very short periods is the way to get fit and lose weight, rather than doing it more often and for longer.
Dr Al Sears is very good on this topic, he has a website and sends out regular emails with suggestions for health.
His technique is called PACE, ie progressively accelerating cardiopulmonary exercise, others call it HIIT.
You just have to find something that's as easy, accessible, and enjoyable as possible, and stick with it.
Maybe an exercise bike or a rowing machine.
I wonder how many steps you CAN walk daily?
Generally speaking, this number can be increased gradually.
I’ve heard of HIIT. I’m not sure how to apply it to my situation.
I have an exercise bike, but hope to hear Dr. Hulscher’s thoughts on exercise that would equal walking 7,000 steps/day.
Increasing the number of steps/day gradually does not apply to my situation. This isn’t simply a matter of stamina, but about the nature of the physical damage I experienced; my right foot was crushed so badly the calcaneus was vacuumed out and replaced with donated cadaver bone. My left hip was crushed and is a total hip replacement and revision. Not only is there major, irreversible damage, but it’s on both sides, left and right. I also have severe lumbar spinal curvature that may be related. I don’t know how that developed. Uneven hips following the total hip replacement? idk. I cannot walk distances.
There is no one size fits all where injured bodies are concerned.
You simply have to find something that you enjoy doing, and keep doing it.
Some may be able to walk 8K steps a day, but give up, whereas you may be able to walk far less, but you keep doing it, so eventually, you overtake the uninjured person in terms of your health prospects.
Do what you can, when you can, and with as much enjoyment from it as you can.
That's the best anybody can do.
Maybe acquire a small dog to encourage you to walk a small distance every day, when your own enthusiasm might be having an off day.
As for HIIT, it simply means that within your own limits, you stress your body aerobically for a set period of 45 seconds or so; rest for maybe 20, then repeat, up to four or five or six more times - then leave it for a couple of days, and repeat.
Dr Sears did what he called the "Twin" study; he took two identical twin sisters and had them both eat the same, but one continued her daily quite long running sessions, and the other spent about 20% of the time in high-energy running bursts; after a couple of weeks the latter had lost significantly more weight than the former.
maybe the 34 move contrology from Joe Pilates. Or dynamic or static isometrics. Yoga?
Does 34 move contrology from Joe Pilates require jumping? Jumping is restricted due to the total hip replacement/revision.
Dynamic or static isometrics sounds interesting. I’ll have to research.
Some yoga is possible, but there are positions I cannot physically manage.
tysm. I’ll research your suggestions.
contrology doesn't require jumping, almost all of the moves, done in sequence, are from the floor (mat).
Contrology: Revised Edition for the 21st Century Paperback – June 21, 2012
First published in 1945, Pilates' Return to Life Through Contrology contains the authorized, legal, edited, and original Library of Congress version of Joseph H. Pilates' and William J. Miller's first complete fitness writings. It details the exercises, poses, and instructions fundamental to the matwork developed by Joseph and Clara Pilates. Based on his concepts of a balanced body and mind, and drawn from the approach espoused by the early Greeks, these are the exercises that continue to sustain a worldwide revolution in fitness strategies and exercise techniques. Joseph Pilates has been nothing short of revolutionary in his impact on the world of fitness and exercise. Readers will learn and view the original 34 exercises that Pilates taught to his students,
Don't be concerned about what you can't do. Just do what you can. However you can.
IMMENSELY SORRY for the HORRIBLE suffering you have and continue to endure due to someone else's addiction.
PRAYING that ALMIGHTY GOD carries you through each minute with His wisdom, guidance, comfort, strength, healing and joy as ONLY He can....
Physical therapists have provided me guidance regarding effective/safe methods of exercising through the years when I have been injured. Hopefully an excellent PT could guide you too?
tysm. I appreciate your kind words. I believe in Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. Faith does sustain me.
I’ve had PT and continue to draw on that experience.
PRECIOUS Sister in Christ,
I GREATLY ADMIRE your Warrioress spirit in choosing to FOCUS on living the best life possible under EXTREMELY DIFFICULT circumstances! YOU are a role model and inspiration for all....🙏🕊🙏
Water aerobics is great for those who have bad backs.
Great article!! My wife and I are hitting the gym almost everyday and feel great! 😊✝️
Use it or lose it!
and that's the truth.
I can confirm that sedentary lifestyle is bad for my health. I was getting less than 2000 steps a day and had a Pulmatory emboism 2 months ago, likely originating in my legs from deep vein thrombosis according to the doctor (standard line). So I am now up to 5000 and working my way towards 10000 plus which I was doing 10 years ago.
Maybe a spoonful of cod liver oil every day too.
Thins the blood.
I am on apixiban and have to be careful how many other blood thinning suppliments I take as I also take tumeric, bromelain and eat kale which help thin the blood. Thanks for the tip though as one of the great things about being on substack is the wealth of knowledge I learn from others.
I would double check about the kale. Kale has vitamin K2 which is a blood coagulant. It has the opposite effect.
I am not a health professional so please double check.
That’s K1.. K2 helps keep the calcium build up out of the blood vessels and in the bones where it should be. So that’s a good thing..
🙌👏😊
I love walking every day. I learned many, many, many years ago that it was a key to my mental stability. However, I wonder if these studies accounted for healthy subject bias? Physically and mentally healthy people tend to make healthy choices to begin with; don’t get me wrong, I agree that adding a walking regime would be very uplifting for the depressed and unhealthy population. The first step is motivation and people are so individual in what gets them going. It is a challenge.
As I said above, most are too vehicle-addicted to even consider walking anywhere.
If you spend all that money buying one, you are almost obliged to use it to go everywhere.
I'd love to know the indoor exercise bike equivalent as when winter comes its hard to walk here.
I will also step on the electrified third rail of walking. This does not include hiking.
I know alot of 10000 steps a day people. They're normal
I know people that do 15000-20000 steps a day people. Most of them have mental health issues. You know they arent right. Lots of different off personality quirks
There are three components to health. Nutrition. Movement. And the 7 frequencies of daylight. In an indoor gym you miss the third one.
when there is snow and ice you have no choice
AMEN, Joe Simsbury!
Yes walking is good but I wonder how much the individual doing the walking plays into this. It is not a one-size-fits-all supposition. Lumping yourself into a 1 million person group is silly. There are a thousand other factors to be considered.
Maybe for some people, 3,000 steps will make as much difference. I hate these percentage breakdowns because they are relatively meaningless. So we can conclude that walking 15,000 steps might reduce your cause of dying from anything by 80-90%. With 25,000 steps, you will never die.
Well so far today, according to the "Health" app on my phone, I've taken 3,369 steps, or 1.3 miles. So to get to 7,000 steps, I would need another 1.4 or 1.5 miles. It's currently 93 degrees out with 60% humidity or 96 degrees heat index. (I'm near the Gulf coast.) Not likely I'll do that; maybe half that at sunset.
Used to do 1.5 to 2 miles on a banana before breakfast. (There's a hike & bike trail in the park across the street from my front door.) Since dealing with Covid followed by a heart attack and atrial flutter a couple of years ago, not quite up to that yet. With cardiac rehab 3 times a week plus HIIT workouts twice a week, and good protein sources every 2 or 3 hours, I'm still chugging along at 78. I guess God's not finished with me being here yet.
Not sure where you're getting your step-to-distance calculations from -- I'm a 67-year-old baggy saggy female, and over the past 12 months I have averaged 6,500 steps, or 2.3 miles, per day. This averages my normal days (two 30 minute walks, morning and evening) with days where I'm doing something like travelling by car or plane that cuts into my routine. It's more than doable on a regular basis, and on days when I have the time and the weather is good I will often walk 11-12K steps just because I enjoy it.
Pro tip -- this all becomes much easier, and much more likely you will adhere to a regular schedule, if you have a dog. A lab-husky mutt is a great choice, because walking such a dog an hour a day turns him from borderline psychotic to the best boi ever.
If you have a dog, you are obliged to walk them every day.
Few can resist the head of a dog placed in their lap, accompanied by that fixed and suggestive gaze.
The best of all creatures, IMO.