10,000
Steps A Day Burns 2000 Calories a Week and Reduces
Blood Glucose
Diabetes In Control’s results from the 10,000
Step Program makes headlines in other cities.
Health
and fitness experts say that taking 10,000 steps
a day would burn 2000 calories a week -- and keep
a person relatively fit.
If
you're interested in walking off those extra pounds,
a good investment might just be a pedometer. The
KDKA Health Team's Dr. Maria Simbra strapped one
on to find out just what it takes to get to the
10,000 step mark.
Typical,
Sedentary Day: 2471 Steps
To get an idea of how many steps she takes in
a typical day, Dr. Maria set the pedometer to
zero and went about her regular routine -- without
trying to take any extra steps.
After going to an interview, returning to KDKA
and sitting at her desk, she logged 2471 steps
-- just a little more than one-fifth what she'd
need to get to the 10,000-step goal.
Striving
for Steps
On another day, Dr. Maria worked extra hard to
get her 10,000 steps in. Instead of taking short
cuts and hopping on an elevator, she parked farther
away than normal and took the stairs.
After climbing up twelve flights of stairs, it
was clear this wouldn't be an easy feat for her
feet: the pedometer read just 50 steps.
How
to Get 10,000 Steps
Take the farthest parking space - Take the stairs
- Walk in place while watching TV - Walk 10 minutes
at lunch - Walk around when you're waiting for
a bus/taxi/train/appointment - Walk while you're
on the phone - Deliver memos by foot, instead
of emailing nearby co-workers
She also went for a walk -- five times around
the fountain at Point State Park -- with Madelyn
Ferndstrom, a nutrition and fitness specialist
at UPMC.
Though
experts say taking 10,000 steps a day would keep
a person reasonably fit, Ferndstrom says getting
those 10,000 steps in is a stretch for many people.
"Six [thousand] is an effort for the vast
majority of people."
"Six [thousand] is an effort for the vast
majority of people... the first step is to get
5000 steps.; and ten is a goal that some days
you'll make, and some days you'll exceed, and
some days you don't get there. But something is
always better than nothing." -- Dr. Madelyn
Ferndstrom, Ph.D - UPMC
Ferndstrom says walking is good for heart health.
"You don't have to be huffing and puffing
to go 'I'm getting a good physical workout,'"
she explains. "You should feel moderately
active that when you're walking with someone,
you'll be able to talk to them with a reasonable
voice without being breathless."
By
the end of her day, Dr. Maria logged 10,747 steps
-- but, she says, it took a conscious effort to
get to that point.
If
you're interested in trying to increase the number
of steps you take each day, she suggests taking
the stairs, parking as far away as you can from
your destination, and delivering memos by foot
-- instead of e-mailing nearby coworkers.
Other
ways to increase your steps include walking in
place while you watch TV, taking a ten-minute
walk at lunchtime, walking while you're on the
phone and walking around while you wait for a
bus, taxi or appointment.
Dr. Maria Simbra is a board-certified neurologist
with a practice in Beaver County. Watch KDKA-TV
for her expert advice on today's medical issues.
For more information, click on the following links:
10,000
Steps Program Shape Up America
"Diabetes
in Control 10,000 Step Study 30 Million Steps
and 15,000 Miles Later"
Pittsburgh
(KDKA)
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