Walk 100 Steps a Minute for 'Moderate' Exercise


TUESDAY, March 17 -- National guidelines urge all Americans to engage in "moderate physical activity" at least 2.5 hours a week, but what does that mean if you're out for a stroll?

A new study provides the answer: It's equivalent to a brisk walk, or about 1,000 steps every 10 minutes.

"Now we know what moderate is," said the study's lead author, Simon J. Marshall, an assistant professor of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University. He suggests that people use pedometers to figure out if they're exercising at a high enough intensity.

The U.S. formerly recommended that people get 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five days a week. But last fall, Marshall said, officials changed the guidelines to simply say that people should exercise 150 minutes a week.

"They dropped the per-day recommendation because there wasn't a compelling argument that people who exercised four days a week were any worse off than those who exercised five days a week," Marshall said.

For walkers, however, it was not quite clear what "moderate" activity meant, although some exercise specialists suggest that people walk 10,000 steps a day.

"Most people are familiar with the recommendation to get 30 minutes of exercise most days," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. "Fewer people know that needs to be moderate intensity, and fewer still know what that means."

In the new study, researchers enlisted 58 women and 39 men, with an average age of 32, to walk on treadmills while a machine measured their energy expenditure. The idea was to determine what level of activity was in the moderate range.

The findings of the study, which was funded by the federal government, appear in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The researchers found that moderate exercise amounted to 92 to 102 steps a minute for men and 91 to 115 steps a minute for women.

"It's a bit like a brisk walk," Marshall said. "If you can imagine you're late for a bus, you're in a hurry. It's not a leisurely stroll, it's a brisk walk."

People may find it easiest to use a pedometer to measure their walking speed because it can be difficult to count steps and walk at the same time, Marshall said. "When you get above 50, you're trying to focus on what you're doing and where you're going."

There's one caveat though: The study found that about half of the pedometers on the market aren't accurate. Marshall said he would still recommend that people use them, however. Japanese-made models appear to be the most reliable when it comes to accuracy, he said.

The researchers said that three 1,000-step walks in a day, five days a week, would meet national exercise guidelines.

"Even walking below that threshold will usually have some benefit to your overall cardiovascular balance sheet," Marshall said. "But for reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease and other complications, the 30 minutes of moderate exercise seems to be important."

Katz said he suspects that some people will discover that they "need to take it up a notch."

"On the other hand, our advice has long been that 'moderate' is a pace that noticeably increases heart and breathing rate while still leaving you capable of speaking in full sentences," he said. "That is still about right. No pedometer required."

quote:

"That is still about right. No pedometer required

You didn't say anything. Do you have a point or two to share?

I for one, don't measure what condition my conditions are in with pedometers.

I used to drink a hell of a lot. I was up to a case of beer a day. Being very lucky, nothing happened. There was no attendance problems at work, accidents, or marital issues at home. This is because I became an expert in hiding my alcohol dependency.

I just quit cold turkey and took up running. I never went to AA or those meetings. I just switched from one addiction to another. Besides running shoes are cheaper than bar tabs, I have lost 30 pounds and kept it off for 11 years. My blood pressure used to be so high the doctor wanted to put me on medication. (you know what that does to a man) Last visit, the Dr. shook my hand after taking my reading. I have also gotten to know my wife and kids a lot.

By all means, begin a walk/ run program to save your life, make you feel better, and provide inspiration for your future.

ALL
New to this forum.
1. Old age, hardening of a specific heart Artery, caught my attention this week.
No obvious discomfort, other than the normal aches and pains of an Old Fart.
2. I intend to do the 3 # 1000 steps, five days a week. Join one of my USMC buddies I see walking by.
3. Also, arterial plauqe removal, Can I get a food supplement worthy of the name, to help?
bt
Semper Fi
end

Thanks for your comments.

quote:

Originally posted by TennSlim:
ALL
New to this forum.
1. Old age, hardening of a specific heart Artery, caught my attention this week.
No obvious discomfort, other than the normal aches and pains of an Old Fart.
2. I intend to do the 3 # 1000 steps, five days a week. Join one of my USMC buddies I see walking by.
3. Also, arterial plauqe removal, Can I get a food supplement worthy of the name, to help?
bt
Semper Fi
end

Hi Tenn, Welcome to the forum.

Before considering adding supplements to your diet, you need to consult with your primary care physician or your cardiologist. Supplements and herbs can be contraindicated with certain medications.

Given your history, as far as supplements go, Omega-3's studies show fairly conclusively that they do have a positive effect on cardiovascular health. Heart disease develops over time(we all have plaques forming), this useful supplement if you don't get enough in your diet otherwise.

Important to note that studies show one really shouldn't go beyone 3 grams per day, as it can significantly increase the risk of hemorrage, and mess with lipid ratio. Supplemenation is contraindicated for those who are taking anti-coagulants(ie coumadin).

Other supplements such as multi-vitamins are useful if you don't eat correctly. If you eat alot of fruits and vegetables then, the multi vitamin is a waste of money. Unless you have a pres-exsiting medical condition (can contribute to vitamin deficiency/malasorption, liver disease, cofactory deficiencies, enzyme deficiecies, etc).

You can check out research article below regarding supplements:


++http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/co...epid;152/2/149
Persons who reported their use qualitatively as "occasional" (19 percent of the men and 23 percent of the women) had the lowest risk of heart disease mortality (relative risk (RR) = 0.90 for men, RR = 0.92 for women), although neither relative risk was significant. Reduced cardiovascular mortality risks among users of both multivitamins and vitamin A, C, or E and the increased cancer mortality risks among men who use multivitamins and smoke, are intriguing and warrant corroboration.

++http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/83/4/546
We found no evidence of increased longevity among vitamin and mineral supplement users in the United States.

++http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/fu...609050-00135v1
Evidence is insufficient to support the presence or absence of benefits from use of multivitamin and mineral supplements to prevent cancer and chronic disease.

So overall, no significant improvement in longevity using supplements.

Best wishes, and please keep us posted.