The old stigma that a normal human being takes about 10 steps a day is gone. Nowadays it is very easy to know how much you really walk per day, since in any sporting goods store you can find pedometers of all prices and available features.
The myth of 10 steps was born in Japan, during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. At the time, a company manufactured a pedometer called man-po-kei. Man meant 10, powder meant step, and kei meant meter. That's why it became a habit to say that a human being walked about 10 thousand steps a day.
As the life of the Japanese has always been healthier in relation to food, it was believed that 10 steps a day was something perfect for having a good health.
Lately, it has been a big challenge to get people to take about five thousand steps a day, due to the frequent use of cars and day-to-day facilities. If 10 steps are a goal like healthy living, human beings today are far from healthy.
- Written by Diego Rennan of Team Eu Sem Fronteiras.
