You've probably heard that keeping moving is a good thing. (For you and your loved ones!) Doctors often advise older patients to walk more. But telling them is one thing. More effective, it seems, is to hand over a prescription that includes a pedometer to measure the number of steps taken in a day, according to new research in the Annals of Family Medicine.
The typically recommended number of steps per day is 10,000. The average American takes barely half that many. (A 20-minute walk yields about 2,000 steps.)
Exercise for dementia and exercise for diabetes are often recommended to slow disease progress.
The new study was part of a New Zealand government program called Green Prescription, in which doctors prescribe exercise, and an exercise counselor follows up with calls to check how it's going, reports CNBC. Researchers in New Zealand and Australia added pedometers -- small devices usually worn at the waist that count the number of steps the wearer takes -- to the program. Pedometers cost around $20.
One group of sedentary 65-and-uppers got the pedometer and were told to focus on taking more steps; another was urged to spend more time being active.
One year later: The pedometer group had increased their leisure-time walking by an average of 50 minutes a week, compared with a 28-minute increase in the other group.
Both groups improved overall activity levels and blood pressure -- which means that any kind of gentle pressure to keep moving more is probably beneficial.
Image by Flickr user Glutnix, used under a Creative Commons license.
On most pedometers, there is an option to count number of steps taken, as opposed to how many km or miles. Setting up pedometers for km or miles takes some adjusting which the handbook for each pedometer tells you how to do. For number of steps, you do not have to do any adjustment. A step is individual to each person, whereas miles or km are standard measurements.
How do you figure steps, as most people have different lengths of strides?
I walk weekly with a Heart Foundation Group in my local area, but I know that is not enough. (about 5klms) There are other clubs in the area who walk more than once a week. But I don't have time to join them as I cycle 16 kilometres on the 5 other mornings of the week, and swim some 60 laps of a 15 metre pool on Sundays. I believe there is a formula which can convert the cycle kilometres(miles) to number of steps per day Also the swimming of laps in a pool. Any comments on this would be welcome
I think a pedometer is a marvellous idea for anyone as it's found to definitely encourage people to go well over their normal paces per day numbers. It may be helpful to the elderly, I'd like to think so as I'm sure it could quite possibly improve their movement and the ease to do so. For those with memory problems then it would be a different matter, for others the novelty may wear off after a time. Still worth trying though, anything that helps folk get their joints moving has to be good. BTW. I had another reminder to do the Caring. com survey today - BUT - I filled it in approx 3 weeks ago!!!
Givng someone a pedometer & getting them to use it is the real problem. I have tried it. It didn't motivate him at all. I truly think it is a good idea, but getting someone to use it is another set of problems. Any suggestions? Even the doctor suggesting it, didn't seem to work. His longest walk is to the bathroom then back to his chair. I wish you all well, but I've had nothing that works to motivate him.
Our church has a 100 mile club where we were to walk 100 miles in 6 month. Some used pedometers. We walked across the US and back. 43 people walked almost 7,000 miles in that 6 month period and are still going. One couple in their 80's walked 314 miles each in 6 months. Another couple lost 100 pounds between them. Talk about healthier people...we are it.
How easy is that! Wearing a pedometer gives a baseline and measures progress over time which can be charted. Now that summer is here (at least in Houston), I wonder if there is something similar for swimming laps and how that form of excersize is measured vs. steps. Thanks for the pedometer tip!