Walking shoes -- check. Pedometer -- got it. But do you have a goal?
No goal? Better set one. It doesn’t even matter if you hit the mark. People who put a target on their radar -- like walking 10,000 steps a day -- walk a whole lot more than people who don’t have a goal. Studies prove it.
The End GameWalking 10,000 steps a day is an ideal physical activity goal, according to new guidelines.
(Find out how many steps the average person really takes.) And in a large review of the research, scientists discovered that people with this goal -- or a personalized step plan -- literally walked the extra mile, logging about 2,000 extra steps a day. Plus, when people tracked their progress with a pedometer, they lost weight
and improved their blood pressure.
(Use this tool to learn what your ideal waist size should be.) A Few More MotivatorsIn addition to your comfy shoes, your daily-steps goal, and your pedometer, here are a few more tools to help you keep on keeping on:
No time to walk today? Try this.
RealAge Benefit: Losing excess weight by increasing physical activity can make your RealAge 3 to 9 years younger.
Using pedometers to increase physical activity and improve health: a systematic review. Bravata, D. M., Smith-Spangler, C., Sundaram, V., Gienger, A. L., Lin, N., Lewis, R., Stave, C. D., Olkin, I., Sirard, J. R.,
Journal of the American Medical Association 2007 Nov 21;298(19):2296-2304.
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