A pedometer may help patients take advantage of this new recommendation. Tudor-Locke says that the Japanese recommend taking 10,000 steps a day for health benefits, but she adds that no evidence supports this slogan and that it suggests a threshold for health benefits. A more realistic goal for these groups to achieve 30 minutes of daily activity may be to take 2,400 to 3,600 extra steps each day, Tudor-Locke says. Rebecca Lindberg, MPH, RD, lifestyle program adviser for HealthPartners, says the 10,000 Steps program has been the company's most successful health promotion initiative. We're overwhelmingly pleased.
People love the pedometer and the simplicity of the program.
They love that they can sneak in physical activity and get immediate feedback. High-Tech Pedometers represent the simplest of the portable exercise gadgets on the market. Nike, Inc, based in Beaverton, Oregon, recently released a shoe-mounted accelerometer that provides runners with speed and distance information, along with other training data. Gregory Florez, CPT, as spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise, tracks exercise trends and as president of First Fitness, Inc, a Salt Lake City-based online personal training company, tests exercise equipment. The availability of portable devices seems to complement a trend toward exercise as being more lifestyle focused, Florez says.