My Fitness

Have You Taken 10,000 Steps Today?

Studies show individuals who increase their physical activity level each day throughout the day can achieve health benefits similar to those that jog over lunch or go to the health club for an hour. Physical activity includes incidental or non-structured activity, such as parking further away from your office or taking the stairs instead of the elevator to more formal or structured activity, such as taking a brisk 30-minute walk or bike riding for an hour.

A researcher named Dr. Yoshiro Hatano studied how much people in Japan walked each day. To track their daily activity, they developed a pedometer. A pedometer is a device that determines the distance (in miles or kilometers) a person travels on foot. A step counter is a device that tracks the number of steps a person takes. Most people use the generic term 'pedometer' for either device. (New Lifestyles, 2003)

His studies proved that individuals that burned at least 300 extra kcals/day (due to added activity) showed better health profiles than sedentary individuals. From that information, Dr. Hatano established that the equivalent of 10,000 steps or more a day will burn those extra kcals. (New Lifestyles, 2003)

Wearing a step counter is a great way to track daily activity and motivate an individual to move more. They track 'steps' for walking, running, playing sports or even vacuuming.

Some interesting information in regards to 10,000 steps

10,000 steps = Approximately 5 miles
2,000 steps = Approximately 1 mile
1 mile = Approximately 100 calories

Adding more steps to your day is a snap

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Walk during lunch and/or breaks
• Walk to a colleague's office rather than calling or emailing
• Walk to and from the store, post office, school, or a neighbor's house.
• Park farther away
• Walk around at the airport or places where you have to wait
• Walk at the golf course
• Put upbeat music on while cleaning your house
• Walk during the TV commercials
• Make a 'family walk' a daily habit
• Walk/run/play actively with children and/or grandchildren