Walking 10,000 steps a day not enough: more needed to improve balance

LONDON: Walking 10,000 steps a day is not enough exercise and adults also need to do activities which make them stronger and improve their balance, UK health officials warn. Men and women are being advised to take up strength-bearing exercises particularly during pregnancy, the menopause or retirement. Examples include Nordic walking with poles, tai chi, tennis, cricket, weights training in the gym or ballroom dancing. And carrying heavy shopping bags can help, too. The advice has been issued by Public Health England (PHE) over concerns that the majority of adults do not do enough strength work. Government guidelines state that men and women should do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week as well as two sessions of strength training. But only a quarter of women and a third of men claim they achieve this – and this is probably an overestimation.