Don’t Confuse Step Count with Exercise, Expert Says
Insight from , assistant professor of exercise science, was featured in thousands of media outlets across the United States, including large dailies in聽,听,听and , as well as聽 and other large news sites.聽Rothstein explained that, on its own, a daily step count goal has a minimal impact on physical fitness. While hitting 10,000 steps a day helps to prevent long sedentary periods, which are associated with health risks like blood clots and heart disease, society tends to overestimate the fitness benefits, said Rothstein.
“During routine walking, we鈥檙e usually not reaching an intensity that sufficiently elevates heart rate or oxygen demand to drive meaningful physiological adaptations,鈥� he shared. 鈥淗eart rate is a better measurement tool. The time spent in certain heart rate zones can be counted towards the recommended exercise guidelines. In general, the higher your heart rate, the higher the exercise intensity.鈥�