Do we walk enough?

We average around 4,000 steps a day, but our diets might require a lot more effort to stay healthy
There’s no telling how handy a nugget of information like this can be. But for the record, India has bagged number 39 on a list ranking 46 countries on how lazy their people are. The study was conducted by Stanford University researchers, who arrived at an average for each country, after tracking the walking habits of 700,000 people.The Chinese came out on top of the list, boasting an average 6,880 steps a day, while our figure stood at 4,297.
Hot on the heels of this study, we decided to look into how much an average Puneite (who does not follow any regular fitness routine) walks. No, you trekkers, runners and fitness enthusiasts are not average. You’re above average, at the very least. Turns out, it’s not a matter of ‘how much’ but ‘how often’, because we tend to take our two wheelers wherever we go – even if it’s just to the coffee shop or grocery store down the road. “My office is on the fourth floor and I take the steps at least once a day,” says software professional Kavita Singh, admitting that more often than not, people are in a rush and the elevator gives you an extra minute during your breaks. For Ganesh Shetty, a businessman who frequents at a popular restaurant on FC Road for their dosas, Sundays are for walking with the family. “We usually take the children to the park on a Saturday or Sunday. While they play, my wife and I walk,” he says, adding that on weekdays, there’s too much hustle to make time for walks, save for emergency trips to the grocery store. But for Abishek Mahajan, even grocery store visits are done on a two wheeler. “The store is just two streets away. But it’s easier to carry things on my bike,” he reasons. Abishek does however make up for it by climbing three floors every time he steps in and out of his house. “My apartment is in one of the oldest societies in Viman Nagar and does not have a lift. So I guess that evens things out,” he smiles.
All this aside, the real question is whether walking regularly is sufficient to stay healthy. Fitness experts and dieticians say this has a lot to do with your diet. “Walking for one hour can be healthy if you follow a diet where you have a heavy breakfast and a light dinner. But if a diet is not followed, then it doesn’t help,” feels fitness trainer Swapnil Vale. And getting specific on this point, nutritionist Aanchal Dutta says, “An hour of brisk walking, daily, for 10 days and then jogging and then running must be done to remain healthy if one eats an Indian diet of two meals of rice in a day.” She also adds, “India is leading in diabetes cases. One must add eggs and sprouts to their morning meal to increase protein intake and reduce carbohydrates.”
And if you thought that walking was a problem, nutritionist Akansha Jhalani says that sticking to a proper diet is the bigger challenge. “I see 70 per cent of my clients succeed in their diets while 30 per cent fail. The reason why they are not able to cope up with the diet is because of prior commitments or their personal schedules,” she says, referring to the situation that most working professionals find themselves in – meetings, skipping meals and then grabbing whatever they can at the closest restaurant.
Moving on from walking, apparently as much as 40 per cent of the people who follow strict fitness regimes are not seeing sufficient results. Why? Because of their cheat day! “A cheat day must not be followed by someone who wants to lose weight. However, a cheat meal is allowed. In fact, it is recommended that one takes a cheat meal as it helps in the weight loss. The cheat meal helps the body think that a normal diet is being followed and the diet has not completely changed, and even aids in weight loss. We see a 60:40 ratio in patients losing weight with 60 per cent being successful at their weight loss plan,” says nutritionist Avanti Deshpande. She also adds that 30-45 minutes of brisk walking every day is a must to stay healthy. Apparently, though an hour of brisk walking burns just 250-300 calories (an average meal has 250-350 calories), “it has a very good after burn.”
But lest you sink into deep thoughts of how bad our lifestyle is, hear this. As per the Stanford study, we still beat Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia who all walk less than 3,900 steps.
- with inputs from Rhea Bali