Pedometers can help us walk off pounds

This year I’m looking for that same kind of boost in my daily walking regimen. But I don’t want just any pedometer, I want the world’s best pedometer — a tiny, easy-wear, multi-function kind that calculates distance and calories burned, and even remembers how far I’ve walked in the past week. I’m thinking I’ll try to find one that occasionally chides me a little, encouraging me to pick up my pace.

Truth be told, I’ve purchased pedometers before. I gave the first one I had to a friend who was absolutely intrigued when she saw mine. She’d just launched a weight-loss program and needed incentives. That was months ago and she still wears the little device clipped to her waist — and there’s noticeably less waist to clip it to. I recently gave my second pedometer purchase to my health-conscious daughter-in-law. At the moment I’m without a pedometer and wanting one.

And there’s good reason for me to have it on my holiday gift list. New data out of the University of Pennsylvania indicates two miles of walking each day compares favorably to a 40- to 50- minute four-times-a-week gym workout. No fancy workout clothes required, no gym fees — just a good pair of walking shoes and your pedometer. I really think I’m on to something here.

Those sturdy little plastic pedometers measure how many steps we take. Experts suggest we aim for 10,000 steps a day. (For reference, a mile is 2,000 to 2,500 steps, depending on your stride.) Walk in miles or in steps — 10 minutes here, another five there — and it adds up.

It’s what we do — we just do more of it. We obviously walk as a natural part of each day, but when we wear a pedometer we tend to walk more. As my pedometer-wearing friend puts it, "I need to get my mileage in." She’s in an interesting competition with herself to walk a longer distance every day.

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For many health experts, walking is deemed the best way to lose or maintain weight. A study at the University of Pittsburgh found that people who ate moderately and walked 10,000 steps a day over a 20-week period experienced a 7-8 percent weight loss. A similar study had participants losing close to 30 pounds over a six-month period.

For the sake of holiday-eating reference, it takes 5,267 steps to burn off one piece of homemade pecan pie. I’ve overindulged in the pie department this season —see why I need a pedometer? The Web site that can help with the selection is: http://walking.about.com/cs/measure/tp/pedometer.htm.

If you’re still with me on this and I’m on the way to persuading you to put pedometers in your Christmas stockings, here’s the topper. A recent and quite-prestigious study found that older women who walked at least six hours a week improved their cognitive function.

Smarter, thinner, healthier … one step at a time.

Sharon Johnson is an assistant professor in family and community development at OSU Extension and a member of the Senior Advisory Council. Reach her at s.johnson@oregonstate.edu.