36 Interesting Facts About Walking
What are the benefits of speed walking, how
long would it take to walk around the planet, how many steps do
children in the UK take, and how many steps a day does one need to take
to lose weight?
Here are 36 interesting facts about the steps we take every day:
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1. Speed walking helps reduce body fat, lower blood pressure and
increase the density of lipoprotein, which improves good cholesterol.
2. The longest hiking trip in the world was carried out by a native of
Quebec, Canada, Jean Beliveau. On his 45th birthday, he crossed the
Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal and walked about 75,554 kilometers
through 64 countries. Over 11 years he changed 54 pairs of shoes but
somehow managed to maintain a good relationship with his wife who was
waiting for him at home.
3. Walking on hot stones or coals with bare feet is a religious ritual
practiced in several places around the world, including the Indian
subcontinent, China, the Fiji Islands, and New Zealand. In the past, it
was introduced in ancient Greece. Walking on coals is supposed to ensure
a good harvest, or to purify the person walking from their sins.
4. Competitive Walking - Racewalking - is an Olympic sport that has
existed for over 90 years. The distances range from 20 km to 50 km. The
sport was developed in Britain during the 19th century, and the first
time it was represented in an Olympic competition was in 1908. This is
not one of the most popular branches of the Olympics, and in fact, Bob
Costas, a senior broadcaster at NBC, once compared a competitive walk to
the "strongest whispering" competition.
5. Modern literary scholars find a great similarity between walking and
writing. As Michel de Certeau put it in the past: "Writing is one way to
make the world ours, walking is the other"
6. The average Australian takes 9,695 steps per day (slightly less than
the ideal of 10,000) The average Japanese person takes 7,168 steps a
day, the average Swiss takes 9,650 steps a day, while the average
American takes only 5,117 steps a day.
7. In Britain, children average 12-16,000 steps a day. In the United States, children take an average of 11-13,000 steps a day.
8. Given that the world is over 40 thousand
kilometers in circumference and that the average walking rate is about 5
km per hour, a person walking continuously for 347 days could encompass
the world.
9. It would take 225 million years to walk the distance of a light year
at a rate of 20 minutes per kilometer and a half.
10. One light year equals 9.4 trillion km.
11. To burn off a 540 calorie Big Mac you’d need to walk for an hour and
43 minutes.
12. It would take an average person 7 hours to burn off a large Big Mac
meal + a large coke + large fries.
13. People began walking on two limbs three
to six million years ago. Scientists believe that evolution evolved
this way because humans wanted to carry goods and use energy more
efficiently.
14. Researchers note that the human spine was not designed to work in a
vertical position of walking on two legs, which is why many people
suffer from back pain, disc herniation, and arthritis.
15. Experts recommend walking up to 6000 steps a day to improve health
and 10,000 steps a day to lose weight.
16. Studies indicate that the way a person walks can indicate his or her
sexual orientation.
17. A woman who weighs 68 kg needs to walk 6.4 km/h in 48 minutes to
burn a donut containing 240 calories. This is about 4.8 km.
18. So far, the oldest human traces found date back 3.75 million years.
It is believed that these traces are of a person called
Australopithecus.
19. Research from 2000 reports that walking
regularly (minimum 3 times a week, for half an hour or more) saves $330
in health expenses.
20. 20 minutes of walking or 2000 steps are equivalent to one and a half
kilometers.
21. The best way to lose weight is by walking at a moderate pace for at
least 40 minutes. On the other hand, a quick brisk walk of 20-25 minutes
is better for strengthening cardio-pulmonary endurance.
22. A man weighing 60 kg burns 100 calories per kilometer and a half of
walking. A man who weighs 90 kg burns 133 calories per kilometer and a
half of walking and a man weighing 113 kg burns 166 calories per
kilometer and a half of walking.
23. The significant difference between walking and running is the amount
of time the foot is placed on the floor. While walking, at least one
foot is in contact with the ground at any given moment, and the time
it's on the floor is longer. On the other hand. While running, foot
contact on the ground is shorter and there are moments when both feet
are in the air.
24. Chickens, pigeons, cranes, and quails are known as part of the
family of birds who shake their heads while walking. Researchers say
they do so because shaking the head helps to find balance, provides
depth perception and sharpens vision.
25. About 18% of the world suffers from
sleepwalking (walking or performing various activities during sleep).
26. The first person to walk on the moon was Neil Armstrong in 1969.
27. Most babies start walking around the age of 13 months. However, some
may begin earlier, at the age of 9 or 10 months, or later, at the age
of 15 or 16 months.
28. A person's chances of being killed while walking are 36 times
greater than their chances of dying while driving a car.
29. A person is 300 times more likely to be killed while walking than
when flying an airplane.
30. Walking can reduce the risk of heart attack, type 2 diabetes, and
bone fractures. In addition, speed walking can reduce stress and
depression and improve chances of recovery from cancer.
31. Walking briskly for a mile and a half
in 15 minutes burns the same number of calories as jogging for the same
distance in 8.5 minutes.
32. Researchers found that women who walked at least an hour and a half a
week had significantly better cognitive function than women who walked
only 40 minutes a week.
33. Walking helps prevent osteoporosis. Studies show that postmenopausal
women who walk 1.5 km a day have higher bone density than women who
walk less.
34. Walking reduces the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer.
35. The average human walking speed is about 5 km per hour.
36. When the body goes faster than the speed of 5 mph, naturally, the
length of a person's step increases, resulting in increased calorie
burning.