The myth of 10,000 steps and 2 liters of water and other “healthy” facts – Wel.nl

Some of the most widely publicized health and fitness facts are based on more than marketing.

The idea of ​​10,000 steps a day has become one of the popular health mantras of the past decade, with the advent of Fitbits and other wearables. Obsessed with counting steps I got excited.

This number of steps is completely random, taken from a Japanese conference room in the 1960s. Few people realize this, but Yamasa Corporation came up with the number as a way to promote the world’s first pedometer before 1964 Tokyo Olympics .

Instead, actual research has indicated that between 6,000 and 8,000 steps per day can be beneficial for preventing chronic disease.

8 hours of sleep

At the time of the Industrial Revolution, a daily regimen of eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, and eight hours of rest was usually prescribed. That sounded like a nice distribution for plant managers.

But we now know that the amount of sleep we need is highly individual and determined by a complex mix of genetics, age, medical conditions, and lifestyle. Some people can function perfectly in less than six hours, while others need more than ten hours to feel their best.

Two liters of water per day

Two liters of water a day, or about eight cups, has been standard advice for decades, but our fluid needs vary greatly depending on how much we exercise, the weather and climate, and our age.

Depending on the conditions, people may need up to six liters if they exercise a lot in hot weather, or as little as one liter.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

Our modern obsession with breakfast dates back to the 1920s, when early marketing campaigns by cereal manufacturers focused heavily on the supposed healthiness of breakfast. As people become more interested in the concept of vitamins, smart cereal brands have begun touting the nutritional value of their products, even claiming in recent decades that breakfast can help you lose weight.

But whether breakfast is necessary at all remains a matter of scientific debate, with nutrition experts saying its health benefits depend on what you actually eat. A breakfast consisting of processed foods and high sugar content is likely to do more harm than good.

2000 calories a day

Our recommended caloric intake depends, among other things, on our level of physical activity
The myth is that 2,000 calories per day for women and 2,500 for men would be ideal.

But just like sleep and water intake, our caloric needs depend on many things, including age, gender, height, weight, and activity levels. Some people will need to increase or decrease their caloric intake to maintain a moderate weight.

Many nutritionists question the importance of fixing calories in our diets because not all calories are created equal.

“A calorie does not represent the energy our cells need to metabolize food for use,” Giles Yu, a professor of molecular endocrinology, told The Daily Telegraph. “Calories of protein keep you feeling fuller more than calories of fat, because protein is more complex to metabolize. You can aim to eat 2,000 calories a day, but how much energy your body actually absorbs depends on whether you’re eating sugar, celery, or Steaks.