10,000 Steps May Not Be All That

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

15 Oct 2006 06:00 PM

Do you know what the 10,000 step program is? We've talked about it here. The 10,000 step program encourages participants to increase their number of daily steps to 10,000 in order to improve their health, reduce weight and increase their fitness. This is a great idea because the average person only takes about 2,000 steps per day. 2,000 steps is about 1 mile. So if you are increasing your steps to 10,000 you are achieving about 5 miles per day in your walking.

So What's The Problem?

Recent studies indicate that when we depend only on the pedometer for the number of steps we're taking, we may not be walking briskly enough to get the heart rate up and to improve lung capacity. These studies show that low-intensity walking, the kind where you are just strolling along is not going to generate the type of health benefits that many people are looking for where more intense walking is going to do it.

The total number of steps is a good idea, but you need to combine it with more pace and effort in the steps. For example, instead of just strolling through the steps, you want to get your heart rate up in a brisk walk. This does not detract from the number of steps, but you want it to be an aerobic activity and not just a Sunday stroll.

Increasing your peak oxygen intake and your energy output and combing it with 10,000 steps a day is the best way to achieve the goals that you may be setting for yourself. The 10,000 steps a day is a great place to start and as you achieve your increased number of steps per day, pick up the pace in order to reduce your overall aerobic fitness.

Have you ever tried out the 10,000 step program?

Related Articles:

Let's Talk Walking

Pedometer Practice

The West Wing Diet

Resolution Guidelines

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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