Epidemic of Inactivity

Our nation has been receiving a failing grade in physical activity. Data from the National Health Interview Survey indicate that only about one in three adults engage in regular exercise.

Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the survey states that 70% of Americans are not reaching the minimum recommended exercise amount of 30 minutes, five days a week. Worse yet, nearly half the population reports no activity at all.

Physical Inactivity Is Killing Us

After smoking and obesity, lack of exercise is the third-leading cause of premature death in the US today. The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports estimates that physical inactivity contributes to 300,000 preventable deaths in the nation each year. Inactive people are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease, the number one killer of men and women in the US. They’re also at increased risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, cancer, stroke, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, anxiety, and depression. Today, some of these ailments increasingly affect young adults, as well as children and teens who perform insufficient exercise.

How Do Pedometers Help?

Pedometers may help motivate people to move. A study conducted by Brenda Rooney, PhD, at the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin provides some data on the topic. Dr. Rooney and her colleagues studied 510 people over a period of eight weeks. Participants were instructed on how to wear a pedometer and were encouraged to walk at least 10,000 steps daily. They were asked to complete a survey at the beginning and at the end of the study.

The results indicated that 80% of the people gained an increased awareness of their daily activity. In addition, 66% recognized the need for more exercise, and 36% increased their level of physical activity during the study. Researchers concluded that “wearing a pedometer is a simple, non-invasive way to increase awareness of daily activity and does lead to increased activity.”

Dr. Rooney and her colleagues noted that participants who set a step goal had a significantly higher increase in physical activity compared to those without a specific step goal. People with goals also noticed greater improvements in energy, had decreased stress and more weight loss, and found that their clothes were fitting better.

Other research shows that taking more steps each day can lead to reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol and improvements in bone density and body composition.

Measuring Your Steps

So, put on that pedometer and set it to zero. By bedtime the meter will tell you how many steps you took during the day. If you took only 5,000 steps in a day, you’re quite sedentary. Most middle-aged adults take 6,000-7,000 steps a day, an amount that is considered insufficiently active. For good health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a goal of 10,000 steps each day. However, this may be too high for adults who are chronically ill, disabled, or usually sedentary, and it is too low for most children.

No matter what fitness level you are starting from, you can gain health dividends simply by increasing your daily steps. Here’s how to get started. First, get your doctor’s okay if you’re unaccustomed to exercise. Second, determine your baseline number of daily steps. Third, pick a personal step goal, one that is appropriate for your individual situation and one that you can sustain. Fourth, gradually increase your activity beyond your baseline. Lastly, stay in close contact with your doctor in case any health problems occur as you increase your activity.

Improving Your Fitness

Here are some practical tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to increase your fitness level using a pedometer:

• Park in the farthest space from the store, or a short distance away from your work. Then let leg-power carry you to your destination.
• Walk, run, and play actively with your children or grandchildren.
• Mow your yard using a push mower. Rake leaves or work in the garden.
• In the winter, find long halls or walk the malls. Take a friend along to chat.
• Take a walking break instead of a coffee break.
• Get up from your chair frequently to stretch and move around.
• Take the stairs two or three flights instead of the elevator.
• Put on upbeat music while you clean your house.
• Take up dance—ballroom, folk, swing or aerobic dance exercise. It’s great fun to move to music.

All the while your health is improving as your pedometer counts the steps.