Some say that the 10,000 step per day guideline is a myth, because it was built on bad science. But, as far as we know, it was built on no science — likely originating with a Japanese marketing slogan for a pedometer in the 1960s, literally translated as ’10,000 steps meter’. More slogan than science — at first. Following a cohort of over 2,000 free-living adults in Australia between 2000 and 2005, researchers discovered that increasing...

After bursting bubbles that chewing gum is not our next great weight loss answer , I was sent internet articles, such as these. This one even claims that walking and chewing gum, a feat in and of itself, could help men lose weight, apparently just before the next hurricane. They all refer back to this recent research study where 46 adults completed two walking tasks. 1 In the ‘experimental’ task, they walked at a natural pace...

  The 10,000 step goal is not a myth. In 2015, I clarified the proposed “myth" of 10,000 steps , expanding our understanding that our knowledge of step counts and health has greatly expanded. However, what goes around comes around. Not only are bell bottoms back, so are more recent claims that 10,000 steps per day is a myth. Despite its seemingly random origin, getting 10,000 steps each day can provide us with numerous health and...

Brenda lived two streets down from our rental house. At the time, I was an undergraduate at Texas A&M, and rode my bike to campus each morning.  On my way, I would see Brenda speed walking through the neighborhood. She was fast – even in her matching blue ankle and wrist weights. We would exchange a "howdy", as I slowly passed by on my bike. I once 'busted' her eating a donut in the Shipley's at the end...

A recent video and article by Yahoo! with a "fitness expert" complied the 5 biggest workout myths. Myth #1 – Walking is a great way to lose weight. In other words, this fitness expert, based on her expertise, is saying that walking is NOT a great way to lose weight. However, if she were to look at the research, she may have come to a different conlusion regarding this myth. Let us bust her attempt to...