Walk the walk: 10,000 steps

There is evidence that walking 10,000 steps a day can lead to significant health benefits. If done daily it can make you feel better and can help reduce the risk of developing serious illnesses such as heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and depression

From The Step Counter Diet® by Joanna Hall (Copyright © 2004 Thorsons Publishing). All rights reserved. Reproduced here by permission of the publisher.

Put another way, the 10,000 steps message is merely encouraging you not to sit down for too long. If you get up and move every 30 minutes, you'll soon clock up those steps. In addition, getting into the habit of taking 10,000 steps a day becomes the foundation for your physical activity and exercise.

When life gets busy the first thing that tends to be put to one side is structured exercise. When this happens, accumulating your 10,000 steps a day through your daily life will still contribute to your overall calorie burn. Studies have shown that taking 10,000 steps a day without any adjustment to your diet will maintain your weight.

The pedometer
The pedometer is just about the best little fitness tool you can have - it is your daily reminder of how active you are.

It is also a great tool to accompany your walking plan, allowing you to record the number of steps you take a day. Your pedometer works by measuring the up-and-down motion of your hip as you walk. It will also measure other movements you perform, like walking up and down stairs or getting in and out of your car. But don't worry about this distorting your daily total - activity can be accumulated from other forms of movement in addition to walking.

You should clip your pedometer onto your belt directly above your knee. As with any piece of equipment there can be an element of error so use the pedometer as a guide as well as your reference tool. But as long as you wear your pedometer correctly, you should find it will measure the number of steps you take with great accuracy.

At the end of each day, take off your pedometer and write down the number of steps you take on a chart. You should be aiming for at least 10,000 steps a day in order to prevent weight gain and maximise your health.

If you ever find yourself without your pedometer, you can follow this guide to measure your steps:

30 minutes moderately paced walking = approximately 4,000 steps
45 minutes moderately paced walking = approximately 7,500 steps
60 minutes briskly paced walking = approximately 10,000 steps

How to wear your pedometer

Buy Joanna Hall's book, Step Counter Diet