Man walks 250,000 steps in a week and left in shock at impact it has on body
For years, we've all conditioned ourselves to religiously hit that magic number of 10,000 steps a day.
We all know the damage 20,000 can do to the human body, I mean, as far as your legs are concerned, you might as well have done an ultra-marathon.
So what kind of impact would walking 37,000 steps a day for seven days have? Well, that’s exactly what one man tasked himself with finding out.
Content creator Jack Massey Welsh wanted to see what, if any, impact such a tough week of walking would have.
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Welsh documented the ordeal of trekking 250,000 steps over the course of a week on his channel and soon realised just how hard it would be.
"This got more intense than I expected it to," Jack admitted, after just day one, when he realised maintaining his pace was going to be difficult.
As the steps ticked by, Jack said his legs were adapting, but his feet and joints were feeling the strain. As a result, he changed his strategy by stretching more, walking longer in the morning, taking fewer stops and even swapping his aggravating walking boots for the light comfort of a pair of Crocs.
The budding rambler achieved his goal by walking two multi-hour walks every morning and evening, and he documented the changes he noticed in his body afterwards.
Unsurprisingly, Jack suffered from plenty of blisters and a swollen ankle, but he did look slimmer in his before-and-after images, after losing about two pounds of weight.
“So strangely, there is actually a visual difference. I seem to be narrower than when I first started, which I didn't really expect,” he said.
“I honestly can't work out if the before or after looks better.
“My joints just couldn't keep up. It's two days later, and I'm still waiting for the swelling around my ankles to reduce.”
While two pounds might not seem a massive amount for such a gargantuan feat, Jack also noticed that his calves and thighs had grown.
As one viewer in the comments of his video pointed out: "He doesn't realise it, but what he achieved is very positive. His body weight decreased by two pounds while adding size in his legs and calves... that's body recomposition."
Jack also noticed that his sleep dropped to six hours a night and his appetite actually weakened, rather than increased, despite all the burned calories.
Even after all the aches and pains, Jack felt all the long walks were worth it for the ‘amazing feeling of accomplishment' alone.
He reflected: “Once you're in the routine, it doesn't actually take as long as you would think it would take.
“I really do feel that most people will feel better if they end up walking more.”
Although it was just a clever marketing campaign-turned-health advice courtesy of the Tokyo 1964 Olympics, 10,000 steps a day is generally seen as a good benchmark for people to hit if they want to stay active and healthy.
According to Nuffield Health, "Research suggests that walking 9,800 steps a day is the 'optimal dose' for lowering the risk of dementia by 50 per cent. Getting your 10,000 steps done outside can help relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression."
However, it isn’t just about the number of steps, but how quickly they are walked, as a study released in the British Journal of Sports Medicine claimed.
Daniel Murphy