Why Walking Might Be One of the Best Exercises For Health

为什么走路可能是最有益于健康的运动之一？

图片来源：alexei_tm/Shutterstock
 

Science says: Don’t worry so much about getting 10,000 steps a day. But you might want to walk faster to reduce disease risk and live longer.

科学观点：对于每天走到1万步，不要过于担心。但是，你可能希望走得快一点，以减少患病风险并延长寿命。
 

To walk is to be human. We’re the only species that gets around by standing up and putting one foot in front of the other. In the 6 million years humans have been bipedal, our ability to walk upright has allowed humankind to travel great distances and survive changing climates, environments and landscapes.   

行走是人类的特点。我们是唯一一个直立并迈步行走的物种。在6万年的时间里，人类开始用双腿行走，而直立行走可以让我们走更远的距离并适应不断变化的气候、环境和景色。
 

But walking is more than just transportation — it also happens to be really good for us. Countless scientific studies have found that this simple act of moving our feet can provide a number of health benefits and help people live longer. In fact, a walking routine — if done properly — might be the only aerobic exercise people need.

但是，走路不仅仅是移动-走路同时也对我们有益。无数的科学研究证实，仅仅是迈开双腿，就可以为我们的健康带来诸多益处并帮助人们活得更久。事实上，走路的习惯-如果正确的话，也许是人们唯一一个所需要的有氧运动。

Aerobic exercise：有氧运动
 

Many people have taken up strolls around the neighborhood and in nature to pass the time during the pandemic — and there are many reasons to keep it up, says Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at the University of Sydney.

疫情期间，为了打发时间，许多人养成了在住所散步的习惯-坚持散步这一习惯有诸多理由，Emmanuel Stamatakis，悉尼大学体育活动、生活方式和人类健康教授表示。

Stroll：散步
 

“Regular walking has all the standard benefits of aerobic exercise, such as improvements in the heart and circulatory systems, better blood glucose control, normalization of blood pressure and reduction of anxiety and depression,” Stamatakis says.

“定期走路具有有氧运动所有常见的好处，比如改善心脏和循环系统，更好地控制血糖、保持血压正常以及缓解忧虑和沮丧，”Stamatakis表示。
 

The beauty of walking is that it’s free, it doesn’t require a lot of special equipment and can be done almost anywhere. Most people can maintain a walking practice throughout their lifetime. Yet, in the age of CrossFit and high-intensity cardio, walking is perhaps an under-appreciated way to get the heart pumping and muscles working. It also happens to be one of the most studied forms of exercise there is.   

散步的好处在于它的自由性。散步不需要许多特殊设备并且几乎可以在任何地方进行。大多数人可以在一生中保持走路的习惯。但是，在混合健身和高强度心肺锻炼的年代，走路也许是一种被低估的、让心脏和肌肉活跃起来的运动。走路也恰好是被研究最多的运动形式之一。
 

Do You Really Need to Walk 10,000 Steps a Day?

你真的需要每天走1万步吗？
 

In general, walking is good exercise because it puts our large muscle groups to work, and has a positive effect on most bodily systems, Stamatakis says.

总体而言，走路是一项不错的运动，因为走路可以让我们大部分肌肉群运动起来，而且走路对绝大多数身体系统有积极的作用，Stamatakis表示。
 

But for the sake of efficiency — how much walking should one aim for? Public health experts have drilled into us the idea that we need 10,000 steps a day — or about five miles. But contrary to popular belief, this recommendation doesn’t come from science. Instead, it stems from a 1960s advertising campaign to promote a pedometer in Japan. Perhaps because it’s a round number and easy to remember, it stuck. Countries like the U.S. began to include it in broader public health recommendations. Today, it’s often a default step count to reach on walking apps on smartphones and fitness trackers.

但是，从效率的角度而言-一个人每天应该走多少步呢？公共健康专家告诉我们，我们一天需要走1万步-或大约5英里。但是和大众认知相反，这一建议并没有科学依据。这一建议其实来自于20世纪60年代的广告宣传，该广告宣传的目的是在日本推广计步器。也许因为1万是个整数而且容易记，所以这个数字流传了下来。美国等国家开始将其纳入更加广泛的公众健康建议中。今天，在智能手机和健身追踪器的走路App里，1万步通常是默认的步数。

Round number：整数
 

Since the 1960s, researchers have studied the 10,000-steps-a day standard and have turned up mixed results. Although clocking 10,000 steps or more a day is certainly a healthy and worthwhile goal — it’s not a one-size-fits-all fitness recommendation.

从20世纪60年代开始，研究人员们对1天1万步的标准进行了研究并得出了不同的结论。尽管每天1万步或更多肯定对健康有好处且值得去达到-但是这个并非是一个万能的建议。
 

“Several studies have consistently shown that significant health benefits accrue well below 10,000 steps per day,” Stamatakis says.  

Stamatakis表示：“数个研究始终表明，每天走一万步以下也会有明显的健康益处。”
 

For instance, a recent Harvard study involving more than 16,000 older women found that those who got at least 4,400 steps a day greatly reduced their risk of dying prematurely when compared with less active women. The study also noted that the longevity benefits continued up to 7,500 steps but leveled off after that number. Put simply, 7,500 is also an ideal daily goal with benefits to 10,000 steps.

举个例子，最近哈佛所展开的一项针对1.6万多名老年女性的研究发现，每天至少走4400步的女性与那些活动量较少的女性相比，早死的风险明显减少。研究还强调表示，对长寿有益的步数每天最多为7500步，超过这个步数的话，长寿效果不会递增。简单来说，与每天行走1万步所带来的益处相比，7500步是理想的目标。
 

Stamatakis notes that 7,500 steps also tend to be in line with common public health recommendations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week for adults.

Stamatakis强调，7500步也和常规的公众健康建议一致。比如，疾病控制与预防中心建议成人每周进行150分钟的中度锻炼。
 

But picking up the pace might be a good idea. As with any exercise, the physical benefits one gains from walking depends on three things: duration, intensity and frequency. Put simply: walk often, walk fast and walk long. The goal is to walk fast enough to raise your heart rate — even if just for a short burst.

但是，加快步伐也许是个不错的主意。和任何其他锻炼一样，我们的身体是否能从走路中获益主要取决于三个要素：持续时间、强度和频次。简单来说，经常走、快步走以及长距离行走。锻炼的目标是走得足够快，以提高心律-哪怕仅仅是短在短时间内加快行走速度。
 

 “Any pace is OK, but the faster the walking pace the better,” Stamatakis says. “It’s ideal for 3,000 to 3,500 [of those steps] to be completed at a brisk or fast pace.”

“任何行走速度都是可以的，但是步速越快越好，”Stamatakis表示。“在所行走的步数中，其中3000到3500步能够在短时间内或快速完成，则属于理想状态。”
 

Walk Faster, Live Longer

走得越快，越长寿
 

In a recent review study involving around 50,000 walkers, Stamatakis and his colleagues linked faster walking speeds to a reduced risk of dying from almost everything except cancer. How much you walk, rather than how fast you walk, might be more important for reducing cancer mortality, the review noted.

在最近针对大约5万名步行人群所展开的回顾性研究中，Stamatakis和他的同事发现步速会减少除了癌症以外几乎所有因素导致的死亡风险。你所走的步数，而不是步速，对于减少癌症死亡风险，也许更加重要，报告强调说。
 

Similar boosts to longevity have been found in other studies. Recent work published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings analyzed the life expectancy of nearly 475,000 men and women who self-reported as slow or brisk walkers. The faster walkers — around a speed of 3 miles per hour (or, a 20-minute mile) — could expect to live roughly 15 to 20 years longer than slower walkers, or those who clocked 2 mph (a 30-minute mile.)

其他研究中也有走路有助于长寿的类似证明。最近在《梅奥诊所学报》所发表的一篇论文分析了将近47.5万名男性和女性的预期寿命。这47.5万人都表示自己平时会慢走或快走。快走的人群-步数大约为每小时3英里（或者1英里走20分钟）-可能会比慢走的人群，或步速为2mph（1英里走30分钟）大约多活15-20年。
 

Participants who considered themselves brisk walkers had an average life expectancy of nearly 87 years for men and 88 years for women. Increases in lifespan were observed across all weight groups the study included.

快走人群中，男性的平均预期寿命大约为87岁，女性大约为88岁。在研究所涉及的所有重量群组中，都观察到寿命有所增加。
 

What’s considered a quick pace is relative to an individual’s fitness level, but it generally falls somewhere between 3 and 5 mph. A cadence of 100 steps per minute or greater is a commonly accepted threshold for turning a walk into a moderately intense exercise.  

所谓的快步是相对于个人的体能而言的，但一般来说是在3到5 mph之间。每分钟100步或以上的频率是大众普遍认同的、将步行转化为中等强度运动的一个门槛。

fitness level：体能状况

cadence ：频率
 

While we know walking is good for the body, research is also beginning to reveal how it impacts brain function. Particularly, walking might be an effective way to slow or decrease the cognitive declines that come with growing older.

尽管我们都知道走路对身体有益，研究也开始发现走路对大脑功能也有影响。特别是，走路也许是缓解或减少衰老所带来的认知衰退的一个有效方法。
 

A study of older, sedentary adults found that walking for six months improved executive functioning, or the ability to plan and organize. Studies also have found that that walking and other aerobic exercises can increase the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in memory and learning.

针对年老且习惯久坐不动的成人的研究发现，连续走路6个月可以改善执行功能或计划和组织能力。研究还发现，走路和其他有氧运动还会增加海马体-与记忆和学习有关的大脑区域的大小。
Hippocampus：海马体
 

Researchers think exercises like brisk walking might improve brain plasticity, or the ability to grow new neurons and form new synaptic connections.  

研究人员认为，类似于快走的锻炼还会改善大脑的弹性或生长新神经元并形成新突触连接的能力。
 

Can You Lose Weight By Walking?

走路可以减肥吗？
 

If walking can help you live healthier and longer, can it also help you shed excess pounds? Not exactly. A common misconception is that working out in and of itself can help someone lose weight. Diet is a far more important piece of the weight-loss equation, research suggests.  

如果走路可以让我们更加健康和长寿，那么走路是不是也可以帮助减掉多余的赘肉？并非如此。一个常见的错误认知是锻炼本身可以帮助人们减重。根据研究建议，饮食对于减重要重要得多。

misconception: 错误认知

in and of itself：本身
 

At least one study illustrates that daily walks make little difference in weight management. Weight gain is common among first-year college students. Researchers wanted to determine if walking could ward off the pounds. Their study, published in the Journal of Obesity, monitored 120 freshman women over six months. Over the course of 24 weeks, the students walked either 10,000, 12,500 or 15,000 steps a day, six days a week. Researchers tracked their caloric intake and weight — and found that step count didn’t seem to influence the number on the scale. Even students who walked the most still gained around the same amount of weight. 

至少一项研究证实，日常走路对体重管理不会产生任何影响。体重增加对于大学新生非常常见。研究人员想要测定是否走路可以减重。研究人员所展开的研究（发表于《肥胖者期刊》）在6个月的时间里密切关注了120名大一女生。在24周的时间里，被观察对象每天走1万步、1.25万步或1.5万步，1周走6天。研究人员追踪了被观察对象的卡路里摄入和重量-并发现走路似乎不会对体重秤上的数字产生影响。即使是走路最多的女生也差不多增加了同样多的重量。
 

Often, when someone increases physical activity, some of the body’s normal physiological responses kick in to make up for the calories burned. One might start getting hungry more often and may eat more, without realizing it.

通常，当人们开始增加体育锻炼时，身体中部分常规的生理反应开始启动并弥补所燃烧的热量。你可能会开始经常性地感到饥饿并可能会在没有觉察的情况下吃得更多。
 

Even if with a tight control on daily caloric intake, it takes a lot of walking to accumulate a meaningful deficit. To put this in perspective, a 155-pound person would burn roughly 500 calories walking for 90 minutes at a rate of 4.5 mph.

即使对每天的热量摄入有严格控制，也要走很多步才可以使所消耗的卡路里积累到有意义的程度。从这个角度来看，一个体重为155磅的人要以4.5 mph的速度走90分钟才可以燃烧大约500卡路里。
 

However, walking does seem to influence a person’s body composition. Where a person carries fat might be a more important indicator of disease risk than body mass index. Avid walkers tend to have smaller waist circumferences. Waist measurements that are more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men have been linked with a higher risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

尽管如此，走路似乎会影响一个人的身体构成。与体重指数相比，一个人脂肪的所在位置更能够预测一个人的患病风险。热爱走路的人一般腰围更小。而腰围超过35英寸（女性）和40英寸（男性）的话，患心脏病和II型糖尿病的风险也就更高。
 

So a walk in the park maybe won’t make you “ripped" — but it sure beats sitting.

所以，在公园里走路也许不会让你拥有“完美身材”--但是它肯定要比坐着好。

Ripped:好身材


文章来源：DISCOVER    编辑&整理：译锐翻译