Walk to Lower Your Risk of Chronic Disease from the Live Well, Work Well newsletter:
You likely already know that walking is good for your health, but how much do you need to walk daily to produce health benefits? You’ve also probably heard that a 10,000 steps-per-day goal is good for you. However, that number originated from a Japanese marketing campaign rather than health research. A new study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center explored how many daily steps a person should take to promote good health. The research studied fitness trackers and revealed that walking 8,200 steps a day was the threshold at which a person begins to significantly lower their risk of developing various chronic diseases. Specific chronic conditions noted included obesity, sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease, major depressive disorder, diabetes and high blood pressure. The study also concluded that walking more steps than the threshold continues to increase the proven benefits of walking.
Reduce your risk of chronic disease by focusing on movement this week! The focus of the Healthy Heart My Wellness challenge this week is exercise. Try to schedule a walking meeting, complete 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, or get up and move for five minutes each hour. Track three activities throughout the week and twelve throughout the challenge to earn 25 My Wellness points.
You can also record your movement throughout February to help Marquette compete against other AJCU schools by logging minutes for the Go Move Challenge! Visit https://gomovechallenge.org/ to register and log minutes. Minutes of movement earned during the Go Move Challenge can also be counted toward My Wellness.
Visit the Employee Wellness site to learn more about the Healthy Heart My Wellness challenge and the Go Move Challenge.