FAKE NEWS: You need to walk 10,000 steps a day
PAST WISDOM
Hitting 10,000 steps daily was seen as the way to maintain general fitness while also helping you lose weight. Actually... The whole idea was dreamt up by a Japanese marketing team in the ’60s in order to advertise a step counter. So, not exactly scientific. Today, science suggests the target number could be lower. Last year, a Harvard University study found that sedentary women averaged just 2700 steps a day and that a woman’s lifespan progressively improved the more steps she took, before levelling off at 7500 steps. The good news is Australian adults average about 7400 steps a day.
THE UPDATE
What this doesn’t take into account is that about 70 per cent of Aussies are overweight, and walking more is one of the easiest ways to rev metabolism. Australian Department of Health guidelines don’t have a daily step target, instead recommending we aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly. Want to break that goal down into a 30-minute brisk walk, five times a week? Well, each half-hour session equates to about 3000 to 4000 steps. So much more doable!
FAKE NEWS: Two units of alcohol a day is fine
PAST WISDOM
Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol – two drinks a day – was considered protective against heart disease. Actually... That ‘medicinal’ tipple isn’t so good, especially when it comes to cancer. A Harvard University study found that three to six 125ml glasses of wine a week increased the risk of breast cancer by 15 per cent. What’s more, a sweeping international study, published in medical journal The Lancet two years ago, found that no amount of alcohol is actually beneficial for your health.
THE UPDATE
Australian guidelines on safe drinking levels were recently lowered from a maximum of 14 drinks a week down to 10 to reduce health risks associated with alcohol.
FAKE NEWS: Eat two fruits and five vegetables a day for perfect health
PAST WISDOM
Eating five serves of vegies and two serves of fruit every day was said to help prevent heart disease, strokes, cancer and obesity. But it turns out just 4 per cent of Aussies follow it. This, too, was born our of a marketing idea. Recommending ‘five a day’ was concocted in California in the ’80s, when evidence emerged about the role of fruit and veg in preventing cancer, heart disease and other ailments. But the actual number is moot. Just five? Try doubling that. A study by Imperial College London found that eating 800g a day has a far greater effect on reducing the risk of disease.
THE UPDATE
Rather than focusing on a specific number, aim for a ‘rainbow’, as the saying goes. Consume a variety of fruits and veg as close as possible to their raw state for greater protective benefits – ie ensuring vegies aren’t overboiled or deep fried; fruit isn’t juiced but eaten with skin on. To size it right, the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend filling half your plate with vegies at meal times. Simple.
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