Wanna lose weight? Buy a pedometer!
Walking can help people lose weight, especially if they use a pedometer to make sure they are going far enough, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
People who added 20 to 40 minutes of walking a day lost a small but steady amount of weight, the team at the University of Michigan found.
“The increase in physical activity can be expected to result in health benefits that are independent of weight loss,” said Dr. Caroline Richardson, who led the study.
“Increasing physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular problems, lowers blood pressure and helps dieters maintain lean muscle tissue when they are dieting.”
Writing in the Annals of Family Medicine, Richardson and colleagues said they reviewed nine studies involving 307 men and women. They took part in studies of pedometer use that ranged from four weeks to a year.
The volunteers in all the studies but one lost some weight — about 0.1 pound (0.05 kg) a week on average, Richardson’s team found. She found that the weight loss was “remarkably consistent” across all of the studies.
Over a year this added up to five pounds (2.25 kg). Changing eating habits could help even more, Richardson said.
People were able to add between 2,000 steps per day to more than 4,000 steps per day. For the average person, 2,000 steps equals about a mile.
What is a pedometer?
A pedometer (also known as a Tomish-meter) or step counter is a device, usually portable and electronic, which counts each step a person makes.
Used originally by sports and physical fitness enthusiasts, pedometers are now becoming popular as an everyday exercise measurer and motivator. Often worn on the belt and kept on all day, it can record how many steps the wearer has walked that day, and thus the kilometres/miles (Distance = number of steps x step length). Some pedometers will also record movements other than walking, such as bending to tie one’s shoes, though the most advanced devices record fewer of these ‘false steps’. Step counters can give encouragement to compete with oneself in getting fit and losing weight. A total of 10,000 steps per day (equivalent of 5 miles or 8 km) is recommended by some to be the benchmark for an active lifestyle, though this point is debated among experts. Step counters are being integrated in an increasing number of portable consumer electronic devices such as music players and mobile phones.
Pedometers can be a motivation tool for people wanting to increase their physical activity. Pedometers have been shown in clinical studies to increase physical activity, and reduce blood pressure levels and Body Mass Index. A study published in the Journal of The American Medical Association Nov. 2007 concluded, “The results suggest that the use of a pedometer is associated with significant increases in physical activity and significant decreases in body mass index and blood pressure.”
Multi-function Pedometers
All pedometers count steps, although they may use different methods to do so. These include (in general order of accuracy): piezo-electric accelerometers, a coiled spring mechanism, and a hairspring mechanism. Beyond showing the step total and/or calculating the distance, features abound. The top features are: Calorie estimates, clocks, timers, stopwatches and speed estimators, 7-day memory, pulse rate readers.
Simple Step Counting Pedometers
The simplest pedometers only count your steps and display steps and/or distance. This is all you need to track to keep yourself motivated. Set a goal of distance or steps for each day. The recommended number of steps is 6000 for health, 10,000 for weight loss when you count all steps during the day. For weight loss, an uninterrupted walk each day of 4000-6000 steps is recommended.
Pedometer Accuracy
The current generation of pedometers uses turned pendulum technology, accelerometers, and/or electronics to count your steps. The unit should be accurate in its count when you wear it correctly - you may have to experiment with where to wear it. Distance accuracy depends on setting your stride length correctly.
How to Wear Your Pedometer
A pedometer should be comfortable to wear all day and be held securely by its clip, an extra safety leash is almost required. The display should be easy to read without removing the unit from your waistband. It should be protected so that bumps don’t punch a button and reset the count. It should easy and intuitive to move between functions.