Every Step Counts Towards Your Health

Sunday November 25, 2007

A study by the University of Michigan Health System determined that people with diabetes are more motivated to walk when they have a way to keep track of their steps.

Two groups of people were given pedometers and also logged in their walks on a website during the study. The first group of people used a "lifestyle" approach where every step they took during the day counted toward their total exercise goal. The second group kept track of only steps that were part of a structured "walk time" and did not count the steps taken outside of that time period.

The results? The people who counted every step throughout the day has the same benefits as the people who only counted a structured exercise time.

But the difference between the two groups was that the people who counted every step throughout the day were more likely to stick to their walking regimen than the people who only counted steps during formal exercise periods.

Many health experts, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, recommend that people increase their steps to 10,000 a day to get the exercise they need. Counting every step will help you get there.

Read the press release from the University of Michigan...