{"id":1590,"date":"2023-11-06T04:25:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T04:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revitalizemetabolichealth.com\/?p=1590"},"modified":"2023-11-06T04:25:24","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T04:25:24","slug":"mobility-matters-use-it-or-lose-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revitalizemetabolichealth.com\/mobility-matters-use-it-or-lose-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobility Matters — Use It or Lose It"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
On a recent vacation to a theme park, the thing that stood out to me the most was the significant number of adults riding in rented<\/em> mobility scooters and wheelchairs with no evident physical handicap other than being overweight.\u00a0 [Note: I acknowledge that not all legitimate disabilities are visible.\u00a0 Note further that individuals with long-term disabilities would be more likely to have their own assistive devices, not using rented devices.]\u00a0 While observing this functional decline, we averaged at least ~15,000 steps per day, which is considerably more than we would walk on a typical day.<\/p>\n Walking around the park, I couldn\u2019t help thinking about what it takes to avoid the fate of being dependent on a powered scooter and instead to be among the vibrant, physically active individuals who are able to log several thousand steps daily.<\/p>\n The ingrained notion of walking 10,000 steps per day originated from a Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer called \u201cManpo-Kei\u201d \u2013 literally \u201c10,000 steps meter\u201d.\u00a0 The arbitrary goal of 10,000 steps per day is not based on any scientific evidence, but it provides a reasonable target for physical activity.<\/p>\n As of 2017, the average American walked only 4,774 steps daily.\u00a0 It probably hasn\u2019t improved any over the last few years, as there has been a significant shift towards working from home, likely resulting in a lower average step count.\u00a0 Few would argue that increasing physical activity among American adults would be beneficial.<\/p>\n There is a disturbing trend towards decreasing<\/a> mobility and functional status of aging adults, with more than 35% of individuals over the age of 70 suffering limitations to their mobility.\u00a0 With limited mobility, simple activities of daily living may become burdensome chores requiring significant effort.<\/p>\n During my time working in the hospital, I routinely encountered individuals who were deconditioned to the point that they would have to call Emergency Medical Services (e.g. 911) in the event that they slid\/fell to the floor, as they did not have the strength to get up, often multiple times per month.\u00a0 Similarly, many other hospitalized patients have been deemed unsafe to return home and are awaiting placement to rehabilitation facilities. \u00a0If only they had known years ago that they would eventually be imprisoned by their immobility, what would they have done differently?<\/p>\n Mobility, just like strength, must be maintained on a regular basis. It\u2019s not a one-time investment.\u00a0 Over time, our aging bodies<\/a> suffer impairment in multiple areas: muscles, joints, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, energy efficiency, etc. \u00a0We must actively work against the aging process day after day, year after year.<\/p>\nDaily step goals<\/h3>\n
Disturbing trends<\/h3>\n
Use it or lose it<\/h3>\n
Downward spiral of immobility<\/h3>\n