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Pedometer Wearers Walk More
Do you want to walk more? If so, then keep a step diary.
NBC nightly news reported that people who wear a pedometer walk 1 more mile on average, but only if the keep track of their steps. In fact, 20 studies have found that wearing a pedometer prods people to walk more.
In a report for the American Medical Association, Dr. Dena Bravata of Stanford University reports that increasing physical activity depended on setting a goal and keeping a diary of the number of steps walked each day. “Every night, you write down how many steps you walked that day,” she said. “By flipping back through your diary, you’re able to see patterns, for example, ’On the two days a week I took the stairs, I increased my steps.”
Dr. Bravata and her fellow researchers analyzed 20 studies from the United States and Canada and half a dozen from Japan, Europe and Australia. The average age of participants was 49, and 85 percent were female because some studies targeted women. The total number of volunteers overall was more than 2,700.
On average pedometer users increased their physical activity by about 27% which translates to about one mile more a day than before they started keeping track of their steps. A step diary was key to increasing activity levels, participants who did not do that did not significantly increase their walking. In addition, pedometer users who did not have a step goal failed to increase their physical activity.
The analysis was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging.
If you aren’t the type of person who will keep a diary, and most of us aren’t, take a look at the Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer.
Posted by Jackie on December 1, 2007
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