NEWS RELEASE
January 12, 2004
For immediate release
Contact:
Christa Dickey
cdickey@acsm.org
PEDOMETER-BASED WALKING PROGRAMS CAN HELP
ACHIEVE
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDATIONS
Health and fitness professionals should help walkers set activity, not
just step goals
INDIANAPOLIS – Step-counting pedometers should help walkers
meet daily physical activity guidelines rather than simply reach
universal target step goals, according to advice published in the
January/February 2004 issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness
Journal®. This new article addresses potential confusion for
people engaging in a pedometer-based walking program, and offers tips to
health and fitness professionals who can guide walkers to the enhanced
health benefits of a self-selected steps-per-day goal.
“Basic step-counting is an excellent starting point for
beginners who are looking to increase physical activity, but we cannot
de-emphasize the importance of reaching the current daily physical
activity recommendation,” said author Guy C. Le Masurier, M.S., a
researcher who has studied pedometers as a measurement tool for physical
activity. “Achieving the day’s recommended dose of moderate
activity through a brisk walking program has a greater impact than
trying to reach what may be an arbitrary daily step goal.”
Average steps per day vary greatly based on age and health status, so
prescribing a universal step goal, such as 10,000 steps a day, may not
be exact for all populations. Although often cited, the Surgeon
General’s Report on Physical Activity does not recommend a target
range of steps per day. Walkers should be encouraged to count, then
assess, their daily steps after one full week of use, and increase that
baseline number incrementally. The author notes the goal should be to
meet ACSM/CDC recommendations for physical activity, which advise people
to get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most, if not all,
days of the week.
“Health and fitness instructors and personal trainers are often
times the front line when people have questions about exercise tools and
equipment. They want to know if they work and how they should be used.
This information and the research being done on how pedometers promote
physical activity is meant to help the professional and the public
understand these devices and what type of personal or individual
step-goal they should try to reach,” said Le Masurier.
Recent published research by Le Masurier and colleagues found
pedometers to be accurate under controlled conditions. During treadmill
tests at five different speeds, pedometer performance was compared
against actual steps taken. Overall, they found, the margin of error
does not significantly impede walkers using pedometers to track and
monitor their steps. However, treadmill testing found frail older
adults’ slower gaits can cause the devices to count fewer steps
than really taken. Their data adds to a body of existing research that
credits inexpensive and user-friendly pedometers as an effective tool to
motivate people to be physically active. (Medicine & Science in
Sports & Exercise®, the official scientific journal of the
American College of Sports Medicine, October 2003)
The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports
medicine and exercise science organization in the world. ACSM’s
more than 20,000 National, International, and Regional members who are
dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education
and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to
maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality
of life.
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NOTE: ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal® is a
member-benefit publication for ACSM Alliance for Health & Fitness
Professionals. It is a bimonthly publication available to non-members
through ACSM’s Certification Resource Center. Call
1-800-486-5643.
For a copy of this article, please contact ACSM’s
Communications and Public Information Department at (317) 637-9200 ext.
127 or 117.
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