No surprise. Turns out that the 10,000 step rule was an invention of a Japanese marketing company trying to sell a device that measured how many steps you were taking during a day and they made up the number. "In an attempt to capitalize on the immense popularity of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the company Yamasa designed the world’s first wearable step-counter, a device called a manpo-kei, which translates as “10,000-step meter”. There is no science behind any particular number. There seems to be some agreement that exercise, perhaps 30 minutes per day, is healthier although as with the steps no one seems to ask what that means. If I exercise 30 minutes a day will I live a day, ten days, a year longer? Will it eliminate the risk of Alzheimer’s? Or, will it simply guarantee an extra year in a nursing home?
Indeed, most of the scientific studies that have been conducted to try to test whether 10,000 steps a day is optimal for health are themselves relatively arbitrary. They simply compare people who have done 10,000 steps a day with those who have done far lower numbers, such as 3,000 or 5,000, and then measure calories burned, blood pressure and blood glucose levels. [Source]
Everyone seems down on a sedentary lifestyle, but have they measured longevity (assuming that’s the ultimate goal), brain function (what if the sitting involves doing higher level mathematics?) or just watching Judge Judy. Cyclists get hit by cars, walkers get bitten by ticks and mosquitoes and catch all sorts of nefarious diseases, runners need knee replacements, and parachutists, well they occasionally go splat. And why, if millions are wearing these Fitbit devices, does the average lifespan keep falling. I know of no one ever getting injured sitting in his/her reading chair. And my cat lies around all day with no ill effects.
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