Physical Activity and Step Counters

Physical Activity and Step Counters

By Scott Lloyd MSc, BSc (Hons)

Health Improvement Specialist

NHS Tees

Participant Guide

This guide tells you all about step counters, a fun way to increase your physical activity and improve your health!

The Pedometer

The step counter you have been given is a Digiwalker SW 200 pedometer – these are the pedometers often used in research and are significantly more accurate than cheaper models. It should be worn at the waist halfway between your belly button and hip, and must be in a vertical position. If you have a protruding tummy, you may need to position it more on your side as your stomach may lean into the pedometer, forcing it out of its correct position.

Your pedometer measures steps only; some models estimate the distance that you have walked and calories burnt, but these calculations are often inaccurate.

Why 10,000 Steps a Day?

Whilst any amount of physical activity is good for us, it is recommended that adults should accumulate 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week. Achieving 10,000 steps a day helps you to accomplish this.

However, 10,000 steps a day may be unrealistic for some and goals should be individual, which is why you should think about measuring how active you are now (i.e. do a baseline week of your normal activities). Once you’ve done this, decide on a target for you, which might be to increase your steps by 2,000 a day by the end of a two week period – this may sound a lot but is the equivalent of walking approximately one mile, which usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes.

Monitor your progress, challenge yourself and build up slowly.

Why Become Active

Physical activity is an essential aspect of healthy living. Physically active individuals:

·  Feel better and look good / ·  Enjoy and help the environment
·  Have higher energy levels / ·  Save money
·  Experience social benefits / ·  Feel less stressed
·  Sleep better / ·  Have better weight management

Physical activity also improves physical and mental health. For example, being physically active will reduce your risk of developing chronic heart disease by 35%, type II diabetes by up to 50%, Parkinson’s disease by up to 50% and can help reduce your blood pressure.

As Hippocrates (c.460 – 370 BC), the Father of Modern Medicine, stated “…all parts of the body which have a function, if used in moderation & exercised in labours in which each is accustomed, become thereby healthy, well-developed & age more slowly, but if left unused & left idle they become liable to disease, defective in growth & age quickly.”

Ways to Add Steps to Your Day

A Chinese proverb states that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – and with physical activity, small changes quickly add up. Think creatively about how to add a few steps to your day, such as:

·  Walking to furthest photocopier / ·  Parking the other side of the car park
·  Going for a walk at lunchtime / ·  Walking to the shops
·  Using the stairs instead of the escalator / ·  Walking to talk to someone instead of using email

Be Safe

Becoming physically active does carry a few slight risks. Even walking, which has been described as the “perfect exercise”, can be dangerous. To stay safe, follow these simple tips:

·  Start small and build up slowly / ·  Be aware of traffic and other dangers
·  Wear comfortable, appropriate footwear / ·  Keep hydrated
·  Warm up and stretch when/where appropriate / ·  Wear reflective clothing in the dark

Also, try and be physically active with others – it’s safer and more sociable. If you do something by yourself, tell someone where you’re going.

Virtual Climbs

Why not aim to climb a mountain or building that is the same as your daily or weekly goal? Look at the list below to see the number of steps needed to climb each mountain/building!

Virtual Mountains

·  Scafell Pike, England 6,180 steps

·  Ben Nevis, Scotland 8,810 steps

·  Mont Blanc, France 30,420 steps

·  Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 38,680 steps

·  Mount Everest, Nepal 58,070 steps

Virtual Buildings

·  Big Ben, London, England 632 steps

·  Blackpool Tower, England 1,036 steps

·  Canary Wharf, England 1,600 steps

·  Petronas Twin Towers, Malaysia 2,860 steps

·  CN Tower, Canada 3,500 steps

One Last Point

Pedometers are great for measuring physical activity but they cannot measure all activities. For example, they are not waterproof so please take yours off if you are going swimming! You can add these activities onto your daily step count though if you record how long you do it for and use the following formulas:

Equivalent step count (per minute)[1]
Activity / Males / Females
Bicycling / 240 / 267.5
Swimming / 185.6 / 206.9
Yoga / 80 / 89.2
Water Aerobics / 176 / 196.2

This guide was created by Scott Lloyd with extracts from the British Heart Foundation’s Think Fit pack.

[1] Based on the complex conversion method developed in Miller, R., Brown, W. & Tudor-Locke, C. (2006). But what about swimming and cycling? How to “count” non-ambulatory activity when using pedometers to assess physical activity. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 3, 257 – 266