10,000 steps a day, necessary evil or nonsense?

You've probably heard of the rule that you should take at least 10,000 steps every day? This statement is not directly reflected in the advice that the government gives us. They use a completely different exercise standard. We will explain exactly how it works with those 10,000 steps per day in this article.

What is the 2021 exercise standard?

The exercise standard refers to a minimum effort per week that is required to exercise healthily. The exercise standard has been the same in the Netherlands for a number of years:

• Adults: At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise 5 days a week
• Children: Do at least one hour of moderate-intensity exercise every day.
• At least twice a week some form of strength training

These 30 minutes do not have to be in one go, but can also be divided into three times of 10 minutes or, for example, two times of 15 minutes.

Moderate intensity exercise

Moderate-intensity exercise naturally sounds a bit vague. It would be easier if it were clearly described what this entails. It comes down to the fact that you should at least achieve an elevated heart rate. However, you must still be able to talk. If you cannot do that, that is more than moderate intensity. Of course, it is not wrong to do more than moderate-intensity exercise. The physical activity guideline is a minimum, not a maximum.

Some examples of activities that fall under moderate-intensity exercise:

• Walking
• Misuse
• Heavier household tasks such as vacuuming, cleaning.
• Swimming

Origin 10,000 steps

The Japanese physician Dr. Yoshiro Hatano is the inventor of the 10,000 steps rule. Dr. Hatano researched the correlation between exercise and health. He translated the minimum exercise he considered necessary for a healthy life into the number of steps you need to take. According to this Japanese physician, we humans take an average of 6,000 steps per day.

These are the steps we take in our normal life. Think of all the movements you make in a day, for example:

• From your bed to the bathroom
• Walking through your house
• To get the mail
• Doing the shopping.

According to Dr. Hatano, half an hour of extra exercise every day would be just enough to meet his exercise standard. A half-hour walk is about 4,000 steps. 6,000 + 4,000 = 10,000. Now, the problem is that here in the Netherlands we don't take 6,000 steps a day, but rather 2,000 to 3,000. So if those 10,000 steps are the “holy grail,” then we really need to start walking a lot more. Fortunately, that is not necessary.

Why is walking healthy?

The moment you start moving or walking, you put your body to work:

• Your heart rate increases
• Your breathing increases
• Your body transports oxygen and sugar to your muscles
• Your blood circulation also increases.
• It stabilizes your blood sugar levels

And that last one is very good. When you move or do sports, your body moves 25 liters of blood per minute through your body. Normally that is only 5 liters of blood per minute. Prof. physiologist Maria Hopman: "Because the blood is pumped so hard through your blood vessels, these blood vessels are stimulated and they release all kinds of beneficial substances. That helps against arteriosclerosis and helps keep your organs such as your heart, brain and kidneys young." Our body is also made to move. In prehistoric times we were hunter-gatherers. Our genes still date from that time. However, we no longer have to move as much, we get our food in the supermarket and we mainly do our work sitting down. Maria Hopman, who is researching the connection between activity, inactivity and the development of chronic diseases: "We can now link 30 chronic diseases to our lack of activity, or lack of exercise." Do we really have to take 10,000 steps?
The short answer is “No”. But it is not bad to walk that much. If you look at this rule from the perspective of being healthy longer (read: dying later), research by I-Min Lee, professor of epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, shows that the magic limit is 7,500 steps. According to this research, people who take more steps than 7,500 would not live longer. You can also argue that you do not need to take extra steps to exercise moderately intensively. After all, one step is not the same as another. At Happy Bodies you always train for only 35 minutes, strength and cardio combined, so you have a continuously increased heart rate. In this way you take two elements from the exercise standard in one go: 35 minutes of (moderately) intensive training and strength training. If you come to the gym twice a week, you have already trained for 70 minutes (out of 150) and you have met the strength training standard 100%.

Ten thousand steps, it seems like the new holy grail when it comes to health and weight loss. But is that actually true? We at Happy Bodies went to investigate.

Manpo Kei

The story goes that Yoshiro Hatano, a scientist at Japan's Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, once came up with the advice to take ten thousand steps a day. He predicted that the Japanese would follow the Americans in terms of lifestyle and in 1965 he invented the Manpo-Kei, a pedometer. 'Man' means ten thousand, 'po' means steps and 'kei' stands for meter: a ten thousand pedometer. Ten thousand step walking associations quickly sprang up all over Japan and years later, in 2015, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare adopted the advice of ten thousand steps a day. However, no hard evidence has ever been found for this recommendation.

Sitting is the new smoking

So let it go, that advice? Definitely not! The Health Council advises us to exercise moderately intensively for about 150 minutes a week. In addition, it is advisable to do muscle-strengthening exercises twice a week. Also make sure that you do not sit still for too long. Professor of neuropsychology and movement sciences Erik Scherder is also an advocate of moderately intensive exercise. In one of his guest blogs for health insurer Zilveren Kruis he writes: An hour on your bottom is five minutes sooner dead. Physical inactivity is the fourth cause of death worldwide and that makes sitting the new smoking, according to him.

What is moderate intensity exercise?

But what exactly is moderately intensive exercise? That is different for everyone, we read on the website of the Dutch Heart Foundation, but exercise is most effective when your heart starts beating faster and you get warm. That can be done by a brisk walk, but you can also go cycling, swimming or dance. A pedometer can definitely motivate, but it is certainly not the holy grail. If you exercise with the Milon circle, you train your entire body in two times 35 minutes every ten days and that is also possible if you are a bit older or suffer from ailments. If you also take the stairs once more, do some shopping by bike, go for a walk every now and then or jump in the pool every now and then, you are well on your way.

Janne-Mieke Loeffen, club manager of Happy Bodies Uden, has one great passion: keeping people fit. Want to regain the same energy as your children? Then you've come to the right place. In this blog post, she explains why the Happy Bodies concept helps her pursue her passion.

Passion for keeping people fit

I've been working in the sports world since 1990. Initially, I spent many years as a sports instructor. I taught group classes about 17 hours a week, but when I turned fifty, I started wondering if my body could handle another twenty years. But yes, keeping people fit is my passion. In 2017, I decided to start working as a personal trainer. The tricky part is that when someone starts personal training, you have to assess which weights are optimal for which exercises.

Two hands

At some point, I was introduced to the Milon Circle, a fully automated circuit with fitness equipment where you can train your entire body in six 35-minute workouts per month. Before someone starts working out, the Milonizer scans their body based on biometric markers. This ensures that all the equipment is automatically set correctly during the workout, regardless of age or any physical ailments. Ideal! When my partner, Paul van der Koevering, started as a franchisee with Happy Bodies in Uden and Schijndel in 2018, I was given the opportunity to work as club manager at the Uden location. Naturally, I jumped at the chance.

Unique training plan for each member

There are other concepts on the market that claim to train the entire body in a few short sessions a week, but everyone works with the same training plan. What's so unique about Happy Bodies is that everyone has their own unique training plan. This allows you to truly challenge each member. Everything is tracked, so you can easily see their progress. Everyone, from children to seniors, can train with us, regardless of the challenge.

More energy

That challenge can be different for everyone. One person wants to lose weight, another wants more strength, and a third wants more energy. A common wish is that people want to have the same energy as their children. In that case, a program is developed specifically aimed at increasing energy. This means we combine strength and endurance in interval training. The strength training is done eccentrically. Most strength training sessions are concentric, meaning you do strength exercises that shorten—and therefore strengthen—the muscles. For example, you lift a weight and quickly lower it on the way back, which requires little to no effort. With eccentric strength training, you hold the weight back on the way back. The muscle then lengthens again because it has to work to resist the opposing force of gravity. This training method speeds up your metabolism, which results in a higher afterburn, and together, it produces more energy. Two 35-minute workouts every ten days! Ideal, right?

Jack-of-all-trades Gert Jan Straatsma knows better than anyone what a busy life is like. Besides being a franchisee of six Happy Bodies locations, he's also an international sales manager at Online in Europe and the father of three grown children. Yet, he's convinced that everyone can incorporate exercise into their lives: "Doing nothing isn't an option; we've learned that over the past two years. With just two 35-minute workouts every ten days, you can easily get and stay fit." In this blog post, Gert Jan explains why the Happy Bodies formula works so well.

Interesting formula

A good friend of mine owned four gyms using the Milon circle. He was looking for a partner in my area to open four more locations. I'm active myself—golf and mountain biking—but as an entrepreneur, my background is in telecom, not the sports industry. Still, I found it interesting from a commercial perspective. We started exploring and discovered the Happy Bodies franchise model. We liked the idea of having them take care of everything from the formula and back office to the administration and brand building. After a few positive conversations, we took the plunge. Together, four entrepreneurs now run six Happy Bodies locations: in Leusden, Amersfoort Emiclaer, Utrecht Leidsche Rijn, Veenendaal, Ede, and Almere Poort.

Nice to be part of a group

We opened the branches in early 2019. After four months of operation, we had to close again. That caused some headaches. That's when you see the added value of the Happy Bodies formula. With all Happy Bodies branches, we've developed a very strong plan that has allowed us to limit the damage. Yes, at times like these, you're truly grateful to be part of such a group of smart and hardworking entrepreneurs, and that we can leverage each other's expertise and strengths.

Efficient training in two 35-minute sessions every ten days

The Happy Bodies formula is specifically aimed at people who don't feel at home in a traditional gym. It's a place for everyone: fit or less fit, underweight, overweight, with or without disabilities, everyone is welcome. Not only are our coaches highly trained, but our equipment—the Milon Circle—also ensures everyone can exercise safely. The Milon Circle is truly the core of our six locations, and it's our sole focus. This way, people can work on their health with two 35-minute workouts every ten days, under proper supervision. There's absolutely no need to work on your abs five times a week. That's not realistic, especially if you have a busy life. But doing nothing about your health isn't an option either. The past two years have taught us that.

Bart Rovers is the owner of Happy Bodies in Eindhoven. Bart firmly believes that health and freedom go hand in hand. The benefits are enormous, and it doesn't have to take much time. He explains why in this blog post.

Work on your health in a short time

I've been active in the sports world for 25 years. I originally trained as a physical therapist, and my passion is improving the triangle of sports, health, and wellness. Somewhere along the way, I discovered the Milon Circle. I was a fan from day one: working on your health by training for 35 minutes twice every ten days—isn't that fantastic? I'm convinced that health and freedom go hand in hand. After all, if you can do what you want every day, you have optimal freedom. Whether it's enjoying your work or being a grandmother who can enjoy spending time with your grandchildren, health and vitality determine how easily you do things.

Sports for everyone

The Happy Bodies concept is unique and perfectly aligns with my partner Johan and my approach to sports and health. Personal contact and genuine attention are central to every Happy Bodies location. Employees are also given the opportunity to develop and deepen their knowledge. For example, at Happy Bodies in Eindhoven, we have many specialized professionals. These include exercise physiotherapists, a nutritionist, an oncology specialist, a physiotherapy coach, and someone specializing in cardiac rehabilitation. It's a place where everyone can train, even those with limited health—think cancer, obesity, rheumatism, diabetes, or COVID-19—are welcome.

Better in, better out

For example, research shows that if you're fitter going into cancer treatment, there's a good chance you'll be fitter afterward. Better in, better out, we call it. It also significantly improves your quality of life during treatment. Of course, you shouldn't just start exercising. But with your doctor's approval, a fitness trainer specializing in oncology can add significant value to your life. Such a specialized trainer understands the side effects and challenges you may face like no other and can offer a personalized fitness program. It's fantastic to see people struggling with their health leave our club with a big smile. That's what makes me jump out of bed every morning.

Live Fit the Oak

Save on healthcare costs

The added value of a personalized training plan doesn't just apply to people with poor health, of course. There's another very good reason to get started. Regular exercise improves your immune system. This can reduce your risk of developing and dying from chronic illness by more than thirty percent. Considering the government's goal of saving €5 billion in healthcare costs, I see a valuable role for our lifestyle clubs.

When we talk to women about strength training, we often hear that they are afraid of getting huge muscles. Ladies, rest assured, you do not have enough muscle-building hormones to look like Schwarzenegger. By doing strength training you not only become physically stronger, you also gain more self-confidence and it helps prevent all kinds of diseases and ailments. In this blog we give you five reasons to start using iron. Especially as a woman.

1. Better posture

We sit a lot these days. Especially now that working from home has become completely accepted, we roll from one Teams meeting to the next Google Meet and we don't even have to move from meeting room to meeting room. The ideal recipe for poor posture and neck, shoulder and back complaints. Strength training helps you improve your posture. Of course, this won't happen overnight, but it does provide a long-term and permanent solution. A stronger core ensures that you have a better posture all day long. Do you suffer from chronic back pain? Then there is also a good chance that you will suffer less from your pain by doing strength training.

2. More positive self-image

In Psychology Magazine we read that research shows that sports is an effective way to get a more positive self-image. Strength training leads to greater satisfaction than cardio. Strength training even appears to be a good addition to the treatment of depression, as research has shown.

3. Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

Exercise reduces the risk of glucose intolerance, obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, writes epidemiologist Esmée Bakker in her dissertation, for which she will receive her doctorate on 4 March at Radboudumc. You really don't have to spend hours on the irons for that: if you do strength training for less than an hour a week, the risk of cardiovascular diseases is reduced by almost thirty percent. Quite an effect.

4. More self-confidence

To stay with Schwarzenegger, in his book Total Recall he wrote: 'Strength training is the best way to work on better self-confidence.' If you train under good guidance, you will see progress with every strength training, which is not the case with any other sport. You will not only become physically stronger, the dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin that are produced during strength training also make you happier. Strength training stimulates the production of, the hormones that make you feel good.

5. It helps prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes

Diabetes type 2 is caused by being overweight, eating too much and too much fat or not exercising enough, in combination with a hereditary predisposition. You can do little about this hereditary predisposition, but you can do the rest. According to the Nutrition Centre, you can reduce the risk of diabetes type 2 by avoiding sugary drinks, eating limited red meat and processed meat such as cold cuts, eating lots of whole grain products, vegetables and fruit and including yoghurt in your daily diet. But there is more you can do. Scientists have discovered that people with diabetes can also benefit from regular weightlifting or strength training. Research in the Internal Journal of Cardiology even shows that strength training can be more beneficial for regulating blood sugar levels than cardio in people with diabetes type 2. The best results are achieved – of course – when strength training is combined with cardio.

Almost seven years ago, in 2015, Alex and Romano founded Happy Bodies Lifestyle Clubs. With it, they gave a completely unfamiliar interpretation to the gym concept. No enormous gym full of gleaming bodies, large mirrors, exciting equipment, and rousing music, but a special fitness formula for people with limited time, where attention, customer experience, and results are paramount. There are now 26 locations throughout the Netherlands, from Alkmaar to Eindhoven. In this blog post, Managing Director Romano explains what drives him and why Happy Bodies works.

Stuff upside down

Alex and I both come from the fitness industry, where we started out as fitness coaches. We saw that the average gym is quite intimidating for most people, and we thought it would be a great challenge to change that. Enticing the people who need it most to come to the gym—that would never work with the traditional concept. So we completely turned things around. Instead of enormous gyms, we opted for small, boutique-style fitness clubs. We traded the upbeat music for calming background music, and the large mirrors made way for a homey atmosphere with a cozy coffee table. This created a completely different setting.

Effective training in 35 minutes thanks to the Milon circle

There was another hurdle we wanted to address. Not everyone has the time or inclination to spend an hour and a half at the gym four times a week. That's when we discovered the Milon Circle. A fully automated circle with fitness equipment where you can train your entire body in six 35-minute workouts each month. Before you start working with us, we conduct an intake. During this intake, the innovative Milonizer scans your body in seconds using biometric markers. This ensures that all the equipment is automatically set correctly during every workout, even for older people or those with physical complaints. For example, someone with knee problems will never be subjected to exercises that hyperextend their knee, and someone with shoulder problems will receive the precise range of motion their shoulder can handle.

From lifeguard to personal lifestyle coach

All these ingredients were enough for us to open our first location in Amstelveen in 2015. It was such a success that we quickly opened more locations, first in Heemstede, Overveen, Alkmaar, and later in Amsterdam-Zuid, Haarlem, and Hoofddorp. We noticed that the coaches were also very happy with our concept. Helping people through personal contact and genuine attention, rather than acting like a lifeguard in a large, cold gym, appealed to them too. Looking at ourselves, it was mainly the further expansion of the Happy Bodies formula that made us happy. That led us to decide in 2017 to expand our success through a franchise. This way, we can also help people who dream of their own club, but who want something different than the massive, low-budget gym, spread the Happy Bodies virus. In early 2022, we opened our 26th location in Aalsmeer, and in April of this year we will celebrate our seven-year anniversary. We look forward to getting many more people involved in sports in a fun way.