Archives: September 2024
How Many Steps Do You Need for Heart Health
There is no shortage of debate on how healthy a diet or exercise program is. In the case of exercise, you might think we would have figured out how many daily steps are ideal for weight loss and heart health. Alas, even here, there is plenty of debate, making it another point of contention, which we intend to clarify in this article. If you’ve done your research online, you’ll see some exercise enthusiasts swearing by 12,000 steps, while others may say 10,000 steps are plenty. Recent studies have shown that as few as 8000 steps are enough to significantly affect a patient’s heart health.1
Dietary vs. Serum Cholesterol
Of all the metabolic concerns associated with excess weight and obesity, serum or blood cholesterol is one of the best measures to predict heart disease. Levels are well-defined and well-understood and can easily be measured in patients of all ages. This is quite distinct from high blood pressure, which, while also predictive heart disease, is much harder to accurately pinpoint since it fluctuates so dramatically from one hour to the next due to different emotions or life events and even simply the setting that you’re in – yes, higher blood pressure at your doctor’s office is a thing.