Many middle-aged and elderly people like to "walk" as an exercise, and some people even become addicted to walking. There may be two reasons: 1. Walking is an aerobic exercise (especially brisk walking), which will promote the endocrine system to produce endorphins and dopamine, these two substances are like stimulants, which will make people feel pleasant, and have pain-relieving effects, and it is not surprising that "addiction" is not surprising; 2. It is rumored that walking is the best way to exercise, and walking 10,000 steps a day is conducive to health and longevity. The former is understandable, but the latter is not universal.
It is true that there are some studies that show that a lot of walking is associated with health indicators. For example, a study published in JAMA Network Open found that people who achieved a certain number of steps per week had a reduced 10-year risk of all-cause mortality compared to those who took fewer steps. Specifically, people who walked more than 8,000 steps 1-2 days a week had a 14.9% lower risk of death over 10 years, and those who walked more than 8,000 steps 3-7 days a week had a 16.5% lower risk of death. In addition, people who walk 10,000 steps a day have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. As another example, a study in the Mayo Clinic Journal showed that people who walked fast had a longer life expectancy than those who walked slowly. The list of studies is endless.
However, correlation is not the same as causality, even if there is a causal relationship, but do you know which is the cause and which is the effect? For example, if you can walk 10,000 steps a day, it means that your locomotor system, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system, digestive and metabolic system, etc. are relatively healthy. These indicators are an invisible sieve that screens out relatively healthy people who are at higher risk of illness and death in 10 years than those who are screened out. It's the same thing with people who walk fast and have a longer life expectancy. It's like that long-standing joke: the teacher takes a roll call in the class and says, "Students who didn't come, please raise their hands, and find that no one raised their hands, so the attendance rate is always 100%.
Of course, it's not that walking is a bad form of exercise. What we want to say is that walking exercises should be moderate and different from person to person, and should not be forced.
First of all, it is recommended to choose the right time and place, and it is recommended to choose a time and place with good air quality to exercise after 1 hour after eating. Secondly, don't force more steps, about half an hour at a time (no more than 1 hour), and shorten the walking time if you have pain that lasts for more than 2 hours (or worsens after walking). Then, don't force your walking speed, it's good to walk fast, but it's more important to be strong and have the right posture, especially if you have an abnormal gait, the correct posture is especially important, otherwise it can be counterproductive. Finally, any type of exercise has limitations, and too much of a single type of exercise has a cumulative effect on the damage to specific tissues, so it is not impossible to actively try a variety of exercises such as aerobics, tai chi, swimming, etc.
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