There's no denying the powerful health benefits of regular exercise. The Mayo Clinic has identified eight critical ways in which moderate exercise can positively influence health: strengthening the cardiovascular and respiratory system, keeping bones and muscles strong, managing weight, preventing and managing diabetes, fighting depression, pai n and stress, reducing the risk of certain cancers, and improving sleep.
How much exercise is needed to achieve these benefits? Aerobic activity (which increases your heart rate) should be performed for a minimum of 30 minutes, three times weekly. The Health by Numbers program encourages you to walk 10,000 steps each day or doing the equivalent of 30 minutes of aerobic activity. Some ways to fit in your steps or exercise include using the stairs rather than the elevator, walking or bicycling instead of driving or traveling by bus or taxi, and taking walks just to relax or as you catch up with a friend.
Ten thousand steps a day: A great way to get on the road to fitness and health.
10-A-Day Tips
You don't have to go to the gym to be active and healthy! The Walk 10 A Day Program is designed to encourage an active lifestyle which is important to maintaining good health. By wearing a pedometer that counts your steps all through the day, you'll see how close or far you are from achieving the daily physical activity you need for better health.
Walk 10 A Day - Easier Than You Think
If you have an average stride, it takes a little over 2000 steps to walk one mile ( 1.6km). Wearing a pedometer is an easy way to track your steps each day. Put it on when you get up in the morning and wear it until you go to bed. You might be surprised how many (or how few) steps you get in each day. Twenty minutes on the treadmill (at 4 miles/6 km per hour) can add approximately 4000 steps, depending upon your stride length.
Take it to the Next Step
If you are currently inactive, start with short walks on flat ground. A walk from 1â„2 to 3â„4 of a mile (or roughly one kilometer) can easily add a thousand steps, depending upon your stride length. Gradually increase the length and intensity of your walks until you reach the next level of activity.
If you are currently moderately active, continue to increase the duration and intensity of your activity. Find the walking pace that's right for you - maintain a brisk, comfortable pace and "walk with a purpose." Don't let yourself get out of breath; walking should never be pai nful.
If you are currently active, keep it up and spread the word. You are a role model for others. Enjoy your active lifestyle and the health benefits it brings. Record your progress during the year by downloading our handy walking log. Always drink plenty of water while exercising. If you will be out and about in the sun, wear a hat and carry water with you.
Tips for Adding Steps at Work
o Park your car further away from your building.
o Take the stairs rather than using the elevator.
o Use the facilities on another floor.
o Invite a co-worker for a quick 5 or 10 minute walk.
o Do a lap of your working area every hour.
o Take a walk break instead of a snack break or a cigarette break.
o Take a walk at the airport while you're waiting for your plane.
o Make use of fitness trails or walking areas if your site has them.
o Don't sit down for your next meeting - take the team for a gentle stroll and discuss business as you go.
Tips for Adding Steps at Home
o Take the family or the dog for a walk.
o Walk to a nearby shop rather than driving.
o Park further away from the store when you do drive.
o Do some window shopping.
o If you use public transport, get off a stop early and walk the extra distance.
o Instead of meeting a friend for a coffee and chat, suggest a walk and chat.
o In bad weather, go for a mall walk around an indoor shopping center.
o Explore parks, gardens and other places of interest near your house.
o Waiting in the car for someone? Hop out and stretch your legs.
o Enjoy an after dinner stroll with someone you love - after all, you care about their heart, too.
Walk 10-A-Day
Adults should engage in at least 30 minutes or more of at least moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. This will help prevent coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, colon cancer, and other chronic diseases.
The Recommendation
Public Health Experts at the Centers for Disease Control make this challenge to Americans: Integrate Physical Activity and Healthy Eating into Your Daily Lives.
An obesity epidemic - fueled by "supersized" portions, unhealthy diets, and lack of physical activity - contributes to 300,000 premature chronic disease deaths each year. Most alarmingly, the percentage of American children who are overweight has more than doubled since the 1960s - from 5% in 1964 to nearly 13% in 1994. These children are more susceptible to diabetes and the changes that occur in the early stages of heart disease and stroke.
This trend needs to be reversed, but will require broad societal changes in current views about food, eating habits, and exercise. Physical activity, whether walking, gardening, or more strenuous activity, must be integrated into daily routines.
The Help
Regular physical activity will help you in the following ways:
o Reduce your risk of dying prematurely.
o Reduce your risk of dying prematurely from heart disease.
o Reduce your risk of developing diabetes.
o Reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure.
o Or, if you already have high blood pressure, reduce your blood pressure.
o May reduce your risk of developing colon cancer.
o Reduce your feelings of depression and anxiety. (Physical activity promotes psychological well being.)
o Help control weight.
o Help build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints.
o For older adults, help increase strength and balance to be better able to move about without falling.
10,000 steps
The Health Care Team at GE supports the belief that to increase walking to an average of Walk 10 A Day will help everyone meet the current physical activity recommendation for healthy adults.
The Research
The 10,000 step recommendation has been used with a group of obese diabetic patients to reduce body weight and improve insulin sensitivity. (In this group the patients actually exceeded the recommendation and walked, on average, more than 19,000 steps each day.)
A group of obese children were given rewards for accumulating additional steps on their pedometers. It was found that the children significantly increased the amount and intensity of physical activity.
Though there is variability in activity patterns, pedometers provide a useful indicator of daily step counts.
Employees at a Nottingham (UK) industrial company were encouraged to follow a short, self-directed walking program utilizing pedometers. Small but statistically significant improvements in physical condition, as well as modest increases in customary activity, were reported.
Recommended by:
The US Surgeon General; The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel on Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and The American College of Sports Medicine.
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