A growing number of spas, such as The Ranch, now offer walking-based programmes / photo: the ranch hudson valley
Anew study by the University of Sydney is one of the first to objectively measure whether daily steps can offset the health risks of sedentary behaviour.
The results, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine*, discovered that 10,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease the most, even if you’re inactive the rest of the time. What’s more, just a small number of steps can still make a difference.
The findings play into the growing popularity of walking-based programmes offered by numerous resort and destination spas worldwide.
Data tracking The research was based on 72,174 individuals (average age 61 and 58 per cent female) who wore an accelerometer device for seven days. The daily step count and time spent sedentary was calculated and the health trajectory of the participants was followed up via hospitalisation data and death records.
Participants who were inactive for less than 10.5 hours a day were classified as having low sedentary time and those who were inactive for more than 10.5 hours a day or more were considered to have high sedentary time.
all movement matters Based on the findings, the authors calculated that 9,000 to 10,000 steps per day was the optimal number to counteract high sedentary time. This lowered premature mortality risk by 39 per cent and cardiovascular disease risk by 21 per cent.
In both cases, 50 per cent of the benefit was achieved at between 4,000 and 4,500 steps a day. And researchers suggested that any amount of daily steps above 2,200 is associated with lower health risks regardless of the time spent being sedentary.
Lead author and research fellow, Dr Matthew Ahmadi, says: “This is by no means a get out of jail card for people who are sedentary for excessive periods of time, however, it does hold an important public health message that all movement matters.”
Senior author, professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, adds: “We hope this evidence will inform the first generation of device-based physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines, which should include key recommendations on daily stepping.”
*Ahmadi M, et al. Do the associations of daily steps with mortality and incident CV disease differ by sedentary time levels? British Journal of Sports Medicine. March 2024.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2024 issue 2
Editor's letter: Cool customers
Spas must adapt to unlock new avenues for growth while mitigating the impact of climate change, says Katie Barnes
Top Team: Therme Group
With its focus on affordable wellness, Therme Group is expanding its social spa concept globally. Jane Kitchen speaks to the people behind the brand
Interview: Susie Ellis
The chair of the Global Wellness Summit has been fundamental in defining the industry and continues to drive it forward
Sponsored: Comfort Zone: Powered by nature
B Corp-certified skincare company Comfort Zone has added a new body lotion to its Hydramemory range, which is inspired by the water-retaining powers of desert plants
Interview: Roger Tempest
The owner of Broughton Sanctuary in the UK is transforming the 900-year-old estate into a retreat-based business
Sponsored: Lemi: touched by tech
Italian spa equipment supplier, Lemi, is embracing the trend towards tech-driven wellness treatments, while also driving sustainable industry practices
First person: The real deal?
What’s the value of an authentic treatment? Andrew and Karin Gibson take to the hammams of Istanbul to find out
Wellness: Full recovery
SIRO is staking a claim to be the world’s first fitness and recovery hotel brand and is planning 100 properties. Lisa Starr visits the first site in Dubai
Sponsored: Gharieni: Defining the well universe
The launch of Gharieni’s new touchless technology brand
Metawell is perfectly aligned with the future direction of spa
and wellness, says the company’s CEO, Sammy Gharieni
Software: Member benefits
Up to a third of spa-goers now have a spa membership. What support can software systems offer?
Sponsored: Myrtha: Herbal Sauna
Pools and wellness facilities expert, Myrtha’s new Herbal Sauna, brings an innovative and therapeutic experience to the spa, says Stefano Cattaneo
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
A growing number of spas, such as The Ranch, now offer walking-based programmes / photo: the ranch hudson valley
Anew study by the University of Sydney is one of the first to objectively measure whether daily steps can offset the health risks of sedentary behaviour.
The results, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine*, discovered that 10,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease the most, even if you’re inactive the rest of the time. What’s more, just a small number of steps can still make a difference.
The findings play into the growing popularity of walking-based programmes offered by numerous resort and destination spas worldwide.
Data tracking The research was based on 72,174 individuals (average age 61 and 58 per cent female) who wore an accelerometer device for seven days. The daily step count and time spent sedentary was calculated and the health trajectory of the participants was followed up via hospitalisation data and death records.
Participants who were inactive for less than 10.5 hours a day were classified as having low sedentary time and those who were inactive for more than 10.5 hours a day or more were considered to have high sedentary time.
all movement matters Based on the findings, the authors calculated that 9,000 to 10,000 steps per day was the optimal number to counteract high sedentary time. This lowered premature mortality risk by 39 per cent and cardiovascular disease risk by 21 per cent.
In both cases, 50 per cent of the benefit was achieved at between 4,000 and 4,500 steps a day. And researchers suggested that any amount of daily steps above 2,200 is associated with lower health risks regardless of the time spent being sedentary.
Lead author and research fellow, Dr Matthew Ahmadi, says: “This is by no means a get out of jail card for people who are sedentary for excessive periods of time, however, it does hold an important public health message that all movement matters.”
Senior author, professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, adds: “We hope this evidence will inform the first generation of device-based physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines, which should include key recommendations on daily stepping.”
*Ahmadi M, et al. Do the associations of daily steps with mortality and incident CV disease differ by sedentary time levels? British Journal of Sports Medicine. March 2024.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2024 issue 2
Editor's letter: Cool customers
Spas must adapt to unlock new avenues for growth while mitigating the impact of climate change, says Katie Barnes
Top Team: Therme Group
With its focus on affordable wellness, Therme Group is expanding its social spa concept globally. Jane Kitchen speaks to the people behind the brand
Interview: Susie Ellis
The chair of the Global Wellness Summit has been fundamental in defining the industry and continues to drive it forward
Sponsored: Comfort Zone: Powered by nature
B Corp-certified skincare company Comfort Zone has added a new body lotion to its Hydramemory range, which is inspired by the water-retaining powers of desert plants
Interview: Roger Tempest
The owner of Broughton Sanctuary in the UK is transforming the 900-year-old estate into a retreat-based business
Sponsored: Lemi: touched by tech
Italian spa equipment supplier, Lemi, is embracing the trend towards tech-driven wellness treatments, while also driving sustainable industry practices
First person: The real deal?
What’s the value of an authentic treatment? Andrew and Karin Gibson take to the hammams of Istanbul to find out
Wellness: Full recovery
SIRO is staking a claim to be the world’s first fitness and recovery hotel brand and is planning 100 properties. Lisa Starr visits the first site in Dubai
Sponsored: Gharieni: Defining the well universe
The launch of Gharieni’s new touchless technology brand
Metawell is perfectly aligned with the future direction of spa
and wellness, says the company’s CEO, Sammy Gharieni
Software: Member benefits
Up to a third of spa-goers now have a spa membership. What support can software systems offer?
Sponsored: Myrtha: Herbal Sauna
Pools and wellness facilities expert, Myrtha’s new Herbal Sauna, brings an innovative and therapeutic experience to the spa, says Stefano Cattaneo
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
