Fitness trackers, 10,000 steps and trendy gadgets should be ditched and substituted with a brisk ten-minute walk say experts.
It seems that the very thought of doing 10,000 steps puts people off exercise. A quick walk is easier to achieve and can slash the possibility of an early death in couch potatoes by 15 per cent, says Public Health England.
It can cut heart problems and dementia risk by a third, the likelihood of some cancers by a fifth and the chance of Type 2 diabetes by 40 per cent.
Yet 6.3million people aged between 40 and 60 fail to manage a brisk ten-minute walk even once a month. Professor Sir Muir Gray, clinical adviser to PHE said, “people should ditch the fitness trackers and aim to break into a sweat. If you’re unfit don’t be put off by the need to do 10,000 steps. The best way to boost your health is to get in a brisk ten-minute walk every day. It’s important to get the heart pumping”.
The PHE has created a free “Active 10” app to help people build brisk walking into their day. The NHS says adults should get 150 minutes’ exercise a week.