Every journey may begin with a single step, but when it comes to fitness, 10,000 are better, according to the 10,000-steps-a-day walking program, a fitness regimen that is gaining momentum in the United States.
The basic theory is that walking 10,000 steps a day can improve your health and fitness level. Adding more steps–say 2,000 to 5,000–may also help shed pounds. But those numbers, say health professionals, are a guide, and the amount of walking should be based on your fitness level and goals.
Talk about a cheap workout regimen. Either counting steps or wearing an inexpensive pedometer clipped to the waist is all that’s needed to track your progress, and walks can be broken up throughout the day, making this a relatively easy way to get fit.
As obesity levels in the U.S. escalate and health professionals look for ways to get people moving, walking continues to rank high as a painless, sustainable program. And walking 10,000 steps is roughly equivalent to 30 minutes of daily exercise, the recommended minimum.
By counting steps, “Everyone can play and everyone can win,” says Helen Thompson of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. “If I tell someone who averages 3,000 steps a day to go up to 10,000, they’ll give up right away. But increasing by 2,000 steps can be done in two 10-minute breaks. It burns an extra 75 to 100 calories, which can prevent the extra 1 to 3 pounds of weight that most Americans put on each year.”
Starting out
Before going for that 10,000-steps-a-day goal, try counting your steps every day for a week to come up with a daily average. Opinions vary on how fast you can increase your steps, but most professionals recommend a gradual increase of a few hundred steps a day.
