Success Stories

Pedometers

A pedometer is a neat little tool that is highly effective in helping you achieve a walking goal. Inexpensive and available at good sports shops and department stores, it looks a bit like a pager which you clip to your waistband or belt in the morning. It counts the number of steps you take during the day, winch can lie a real eye-opener as to how active you really are—you may well be completely shocked at how few steps you actually lake during a normal day!

There are now guidelines to advise us on how many steps we should be aiming for and these are shown below. You may have to build yourself slowly up to these levels. Wear your pedometer for the first week of 'Doing It For Life' and, at the end of each day, record the number of steps you took. Work out your average daily steps at the end of the week and add 30 per cent. This is your new goal for the next two to three weeks. Once you are achieving the new step goal easily, add a further 30 per cent. Repeat this process, taking as long as you need at each stage, until you are meeting the goals below.

• For optimum health aim to achieve 7500 steps per day
• For weight loss aim to achieve 10 000 steps per day
• To prevent weight regain aim to achieve 12 500 steps per day

Of course, the pedometer only counts the actual walking that you do and not other activities. The following table gives you an idea of how many steps are equivalent to 15 minutes of certain activities. Using these guidelines, you can reduce your daily step goal on days when you complete some other exercise or activity.

Copyright 2005 DiagnoseMeFirst - All rights reserved
Date last updated: 16 February 2005