The Japanese Walking Workout You Should Do Four Times a Week

"In the mid-1960s, a a Japanese watch company called Yamasa Clock debuted a pedometer called " Manpo-kei," which translated to "10,000 steps meter." Something about the number sounded right because it was big enough to feel ambitious but small enough to feel achievable. But Yamasa's primary motive was even less scientific than that - the Japanese character for 10,000 somewhat resembles a gentleman out for a brisk stroll: 万."

"In the years since, researchers have more or less debunked the idea that 10,000 steps is some sort of daily non-negotiable. A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology in 2023 found that just 3,900 steps a day (that's less than two miles!) was enough to reduce all-cause mortality. The study also found that adults reduced their risk of death from heart disease with each 500-step dose they added to their total."

"Still, it's fitting that the most common walking goal out there is associated with Japan because the nation happens to be preternaturally good at it. Compared to the United States, Japan doesn't really have gym culture, but it also has a reduced rate of car ownership. The Japanese make use of a lightning-quick public transportation system and integrate movement into their lifestyle, even practicing a daily, nationwide calisthenics routine called " radio taisō.""

The Manpo-kei pedometer, introduced in the mid-1960s by Yamasa Clock, popularized the 10,000-steps goal, aided by the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) resembling a walking person. Contemporary research found that about 3,900 steps daily reduce all-cause mortality, and each added 500 steps lowers heart disease death risk. The 10,000-step target is not an obligatory medical threshold. Japan integrates walking through low car ownership, fast public transit, daily radio taisō calisthenics, and widespread walking trails. Exercise medicine in Japan has encouraged older adults to walk more and sometimes to increase walking speed to address population aging.

Read at InsideHook