How Many Steps it Takes to Walk Away from Death
Plus: Advice from our experts, great reads, and reader feedback
Welcome back to your weekly dose of wellness, helping you make tomorrow a little better than today . Below you’ll find several compelling health and wellness articles as always. But first …
You’ve no doubt heard that walking is good for physical health and mental well-being. A new study gets specific about how much to aim for. As I write:
Walking at least 3,967 steps per day is a minimum threshold to reduce the risk of death from any cause, according to a large review of research. For the average person, that’s around 1.7 miles (2.7 km) per day. Meanwhile, a mere 2,337 steps is the lower bar for lowering the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, specifically, the researchers concluded.
That’s not the final word — um, number — on the subject, but it’s a good starting point to ponder just a little ambling around can really boost mood and health. Consider:
Each additional 500 daily steps reduces the risk of dying from any cause by 7%. Of course, the odds are good you will die eventually; these new odds pertain to your risk of kicking the bucket sooner than necessary.
“Our study confirms that the more you walk, the better,” said Maciej Banach, MD, a professor of cardiology at the Medical University in Poland, and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “We found that this applied to both men and women, irrespective of age” and irrespective of climate.
I dive into other research on the health benefits of walking, including some of the many diseases and conditions it’s known to help prevent. Plus some suggestions to help you get going.
Read: How Many Steps it Takes to Walk Away from Death By Robert Roy Britt
YOUR FEEDBACK
“Even though I consider the times I felt most lonely also the times where I really became the person I am and love today, I think of those times with a tint of shame. As you said, feeling lonely is universal. We are lacking something social. Like lacking food and feeling hungry. But somehow no one is ashamed they are hungry.”
—Alina Schwarz, re: The Stigma of Loneliness: Why We Stay Silently Lonely by Stephan Joppich
HEALTHY READING
A selection of this week’s other informative and insightful articles:
Diagnosing Your Own Mental Health Condition Can Be a Recipe for Disaster
A side effect of the important effort to bring mental health “out of the shadows” and discuss it openly has been a surge in teens diagnosing themselves from videos on TikTok or YouTube or other information gleaned from the internet. There’s lots of good information out there. Along with misinformation. And disinformation. This psychiatrist explains the extreme risks of self-diagnosis — whether convincing yourself that you have something that you don’t, or failing to detect a condition you do have — and the importance of collaborating with a trained professional.
— By John Kruse MD, PhD
A Prescription for Parents of Hospitalized Children
“It is easy to forget, from my side of the bed, how terrifying it looks to have your child in a hospital bed with various wires and tubes connected to them,” this doctor writes. “So for every parent of a sick child, and for everyone who cares for sick children, here are the questions I want to be sure you get answered as soon as possible.”
— By Eric J. Kort MD
What is Parental Attunement and Why is it So Essential?
“Most of the time, our parenting mistakes are unintentional,” this psychologist and parenting coach writes. “We love our kids and strive to do our best. But sometimes, we misinterpret and misunderstand their needs. Even the most well-intentioned parenting practices fall flat when we are not attuned to our child.” Here’s exactly how to do it.
— By Gail Post, PhD
Could a Single Drug Treat Cancer and Heart Disease?
The two leading causes of US deaths share many parallels in their origins and how they develop. Nanoparticles offer one potential way to effectively treat both with reduced side effects.
—By Bryan Smith
THE UNITED STATES OF DEPRESSION
See all the stories published so far in this month-long series, and what’s ahead this week, here. Recently published:
Is It Depression or the Menopause? (Sept. 11)
Middle-aged women often struggle with anxiety, lack of energy, brain fog and other symptoms that can be indicators of depression. But these same symptoms can also result from low estrogen levels. Many doctors prescribe antidepressants for women who are not actually depressed and who may benefit from other treatments that improve mood and overall health.
— By Dana Mayer
Hooked: How Common Obsessions Lead to Depression (Sept. 12)
Humans are wired to pursue pleasure. But too much of a good thing — whether substances like alcohol or drugs or behaviors like gambling or video gaming — can backfire, leading to depression and anxiety. Here’s how to break the cycle and restore balance.
— By Kathleen Murphy
The Gut Truth About the Microbiome’s Role in Depression (Sept. 13)
The food we choose to eat helps shape our microbiome. The right diet might offer a protective effect against depression, for example. Conversely, antibiotics can sometimes lead to depression as a side effect, illustrating the power of the gut-mind connection.
— By Sam Westreich, PhD
How Diet Alters Brain Chemistry to Cause (or Battle) Depression (Sept. 14)
Depression is enigmatic. Some people succumb, yet others never do. Some recover, others can’t. Cracking the mystery of its origins requires understanding the chemistry of the brain, and how the rest of the body can control what happens in the mind.
— By Brent R. Stockwell, PhD
Alcoholism and Depression Often Coexist and Fuel One Another (Sept. 15)
Alcohol use fuels and exacerbates depression, and depression can drive alcohol abuse. Treating either condition can improve the other. Having seen it up close, the writer walks us through the science of alcohol-induced depression and depression-induced alcoholism and the promise of dual-diagnosis programs.
— By Gillian May
RANDOM BIT OF WISDOM
“The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”
― Abigail Van Buren
If you like what you see, please follow Wise & Well on Medium. Meanwhile, I hope we’ve helped you make tomorrow a little better than today. — Rob