COUNTING AND INCREASING YOUR STEPS

Generally speaking, the more steps healthy individuals accumulate safely on a daily basis, the more health benefits we reap. Following are the tips to guide you in safely increasing the number of steps you take in a day!

1. Wear the pedometer for three days, recording how many steps you have taken by the end of each day.
2. Average the number of steps for the three days. For example: 2000 + 2200 + 3100 = 7300/3 = 2433 steps per day on average.
3. Track your steps on www.walkaboutns.ca and increase your average by 10% each week or every other week, until you have reached your goal. For example, 10% of 2433 is 243, so you would want to average 2433 + 243 = 2676 steps/day in week one, and 2676+243=2919 steps/day in week two, and so on adding 243 to your daily average every week, until reaching your goal.

How Many Steps Each Day Will Provide Positive Health Benefits?

Children (age 8-10): 12,000-16,000 steps/day on average

Youth (age 10-20): 11,000-12,000 steps/day on average

Healthy Adults age 20-50: 7,000-11,000 steps/day on average

Healthy Adults age 50-70: 6,000-8,500 steps/day on average

Adults with disabilities and chronic disease: 3,500-5,500 steps/day on average

Men are generally in the upper end of these ranges and females in the lower.

Using a Pedometer

Pedometers are simple electronic devices that clip to your waistband or belt and track every step you take.

• Place your pedometer on your waistband or belt directly above your knee on the same side of your body as the hand you normally write with.
• The pedometer should remain upright and stay close to your body (it should not tilt forward, backward, or side-to-side). If the pedometer has a cover, it usually needs to be closed for it to accurately count steps.
• Do a step test by resetting the pedometer to zero. Gently close the cover (if there is a cover) and take 20 steps, walking normally. The pedometer shoudl now read between 18 and 22 steps. If it is not, try attaching it in a different location. (Pedometers can also be worn in an alternate position on the waist, such as the mid back, as long as it remains upright and moves with you.)