"Stepping" with a Pedometer

Experts say that being able to take 10,000 steps a day represents a moderate level of physical fitness. Researchers recently reported the results of equipping diabetics who have been told to improve their fitness levels with simple, inexpensive pedometers. The investigators presented their findings at the American Diabetes Association?s annual meeting in June 2003.

At the beginning of 1 study, participants walked about 4360 steps a day. Equipped with pedometers to measure their steps, some members of the group reached 10,000 steps at week 16. ?It was always the little things that made the most difference,? said a researcher, ?like instead of sitting down and chatting during a coffee break they went out for a short walk. . . . People love the pedometer ?they liked knowing how many steps they took each day and how they could improve their fitness levels.?