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Daily Edition • Thursday, Sept 17
SPONSORED BY
Daily Edition • Thursday, Sept 17
SPONSORED BY
10,000 steps a day. For decades, that’s been the go-to goal for daily movement. But where did that number actually come from? It traces back to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, which helped kick off a broader fitness boom in Japan. In 1965, the Japanese company Yamasa released a pedometer called the Manpo-kei, which roughly translates to “10,000-step meter.” The number wasn’t based on science or research — it was chosen because it was simple and memorable, and it has stuck ever since.
But new research is challenging the idea that 10,000 really is the gold standard. In this issue, we dive into a recent study that suggests your step count may not be the only factor that determines how much your daily walk benefits your health. Read on for the full story of why your pace may be just as important as your step count.
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Fitness
Can’t Hit 10K Steps? A New Study Says to Pick Up the Pace
Getty/Unsplash
Some Pep in Your Step: If you struggle to hit 10,000 steps every day, don’t sweat it too much. First of all, the 10K magic number originated from marketing, not science. You can still get significant benefits with fewer steps. On days when you can’t get lots of steps, the secret could be to walk faster instead of longer, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The Study: Researchers analyzed data collected from activity trackers worn by more than 100,000 middle-aged participants in the UK Biobank. The trackers measured both the quantity and intensity of their steps. Participants were grouped into four categories, based on how many steps they took.
The Takeaway: Getting fewer than 5,000 steps a day at a cadence of at least 80 steps a minute equaled a much lower risk of death — comparable to those who took 5,000 to 7,500 steps at a 60-steps-per-minute pace. While the lowest risk of death was in those who got 7,500 to 10,000 steps a day, 30 minutes of brisk walking a day may be the “sweet spot” for sedentary people.
Keep in Mind: The study was observational, so it didn’t find causation.
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Beauty
What “Ferritin Face” Can (and Can’t) Tell You About Your Iron
All Healthy Design Studio
The Trend: Ever heard of “ferritin face?” Well, it’s the internet’s new name for that sallow and tired look (complete with dark circles) that people say signals low iron. It’s spreading on TikTok, in particular, where people credit iron infusions or supplements with changing their skin. It seems to be resonating because iron deficiency is the world’s most common nutritional deficiency, and almost one in three US adults has some form of it.
What People Are Saying: Many people posting about ferritin face discuss how doctors initially dismissed their symptoms and blamed them on fatigue or stress. But dermatologists warn that dark circles and pale skin aren’t reliable signs on their own, especially because they’re harder to notice on darker skin tones.
What to Know: The sudden rise of ferritin face as a social media trend reflects the fact that iron deficiency often goes undiagnosed. That’s partially because standard blood tests check hemoglobin, which can be normal even when your body’s iron stores are low. A ferritin test measures your body’s stored iron and can detect iron deficiency before anemia develops. So there’s no harm in asking your doctor for a ferritin test if the state of your face has you wondering — but remember that ferritin face is not a medical diagnosis.
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Health Tech
How Accurate Is Your Fitness Tracker, Really?
Onur Binay/Unsplash
You Should Know: Wearables are getting smarter, and Apple’s new Watch Series 12 is being touted for improved heart-rate accuracy. Still, smarter doesn’t necessarily mean exact. Many health metrics on your wrist are still estimates generated by sensors and algorithms, not direct measurements of what’s happening inside your body.
Going Deeper: A new study from Florida International University put four popular watches — the Apple Watch Series 8, Garmin Forerunner 955, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, and Fitbit Sense 2 — to the test against clinical-grade equipment. The watches generally overestimated calories burned during exercise, with typical errors ranging from 15% to 25%. Apple was the most accurate of the bunch, but it still wasn’t exact. More strikingly, accuracy tended to worsen as participants’ body-fat percentage increased.
Takeaway: Fitness trackers may not be highly accurate, but that doesn’t mean they’re useless. Outside of physiological metrics like heart rate and calorie burn, metrics like activity and performance data (such as walking or running pace) are helpful, particularly for spotting trends over time. They can also help you stay motivated and find community through app platforms.
Bottom Line: Treat your smartwatch as a helpful guide. Its numbers can inform your choices, but they shouldn’t dictate them.
These high protein chipotle chicken burrito bowls contain all the ingredients of a burrito — minus the tortilla. The combo of high-protein ingredients like beans and chicken with fiber-rich foods like avocado and brown rice creates a well-balanced and satisfying meal. Though it requires a bit of extra cook time, this recipe yields four large servings (and five medium servings), making it a perfect dish to meal prep for the week.
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This, Not That
Give Your Eyes a Real Break
THIS
NOT THAT
A.C./Unsplash, Jonas Leupe/Unsplash
This: Look at something far away Not That: Switching from laptop to phone and calling it rest
Your eyes do not care that your phone is smaller than your laptop. They still want a break. Look out a window, step outside, or focus on something across the room for a minute. Distance is the break. The second screen is just a costume change.
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Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.
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HEALTHY HABIT
Make the Grocery Store Less Chaotic
Write down three easy meals you can always make: tacos, grain bowls, eggs and toast, pasta with vegetables, soup and bread, whatever works. When your brain blanks in the grocery store, the list gives you a way out that does not involve buying six unrelated snacks and calling it a plan.
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Final Thought
There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot.”
