10 facts you never knew about walking, but should

If you already know these fun facts, you’re a certifiable genius, if not, prepare yourself to walk into some cool facts you never knew before. There’s only one way to find out though… Fact #10  Mad props to the folks who got it started in 1908 but competitive walking or race walking has now been an Olympic sport for over 90 years with distances that range from 20 km to 50 km. via GIPHY

Fact #9

Research conducted by Stanford University in 2017 showed that that the average Indian takes only 4297 steps a day and ranks 39th among 46 countries surveyed - just below the worldwide average of 4961 steps a day. Awkward! via GIPHY

Fact #8

An average person will need to walk for 7 hours to burn off a large meal of Big Mac, large coke & large fries. Perhaps there isn’t always time for jellooooo! via GIPHY

Fact #7

Research shows that the human spine was not designed to be vertical or take on the strain of walking on two legs. Probably why so many people suffer from back pain, disc herniation, and arthritis, yes? via GIPHY

Fact #6

Walking not only makes you healthier but also reduces your risk of Heart Attacks, Type II Diabetes, and Bone Fractures. In addition, speed walking can reduce stress and depression and even help recovery from cancer. That’s seriously AHMAZING! via GIPHY

Fact #5

Walking sideways burns 78% more calories than walking like you usually would - straight ahead. Why? Because your body is unfamiliar with walking sideways and must work that much harder to pull off lateral motion. Who knew, right? via GIPHY

Fact #4

While Michael Jackson created the moonwalk and Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, scientists believe that walking itself may have originated underwater by air-breathing fish that hopped and pushed themselves forward using scrawny ‘limbs’. via GIPHY

Fact #3

Walking on a rough but level track requires 50% more energy than walking on a paved road. For sure you didn’t know that! via GIPHY

Fact #2

Research suggests that pigeons, chicken, cranes, quails are among at least eight of the 27 families of birds that bob their head while walking. Apparently, it helps them with balance, provides depth perception, and sharpens their vision. Want to try it? via GIPHY

Fact #1

The #India StepsChallenge which concluded recently raised India’s average daily step count from 6783 to a whopping 8637 steps! A few lucky winners who aced the challenge won 85000 prizes worth ₹5 crore. via GIPHY We hope you loved these quirky facts about walking and make #IndiaStepsChallenge your permanent fitness goal! As the curtains fall on the India Steps Challenge, which was India’s largest remote mass participation event, more than 1,00,000 prizes worth ₹5 crore were claimed on the GOQii app. Most importantly, India’s average step count increased dramatically from 4297 steps to 8637 steps! Kerala and Tamil Nadu emerged as frontrunners with a daily average step count of 12,200+ steps a day, closely followed by Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Chandigarh of close to 12,000 steps daily! We can proudly say, we tried making India healthy & active and hope you too can implement these changes in your own lives and challenge yourself to live a better and fuller life. It’s time you take that first step and Be The Force in your life! Take your 6000 steps towards a healthy life. Download the GOQii App here:  www.goqii.com/app This is a partnered post.