Good Morning Flock:

For a long time now, I’ve been “preaching” (it is Sunday, you know) about the intensity needed for your cardiovascular activity to be useful. However, I still see many of you walking on the treadmill or hear about your “hikes” around Rancho Park or elsewhere. So, since some of you still won’t venture across the line from duration to intensity, I will come to you. What do I mean?

Well, if you’re gonna walk, get a pedometer. Yup. The only surefire way of tracking your activity level or progress when walking is to use one of these gadgets. What’s more, some studies have shown that individuals who wear pedometers on a regular basis, tend to take more steps. For example, one might park farther away from a storefront in an attempt to reach or surpass one’s daily step goal. And those of you with dogs may find it doubly beneficial to turn that 15 minute loop-t-loop into a 30 minute workout.

The Government recommends that we walk 10,000 steps (equal to five miles) a day. However, most fall way short and travel between 900 and 3,000. So, walking for exercise is the only way to reach the Government’s mark.

On a pedometer, one must take 2,000 steps to travel one mile.

But, how about the speed in which you walk? Uh-oh. That’s right. There’s that word again. Intensity. I know you thought I was gonna say that the intensity doesn’t matter. Well, I am not talking about taking your walking up to running, but I am saying the faster you walk, the better (and quicker) your results will be.

Pedometer rules of “Thumb”:
100 steps per minute = moderately intensity activity
150 steps per minute = vigorous activity

So how to achieve the optimal health benefits of walking?
150 steps per minute for a duration of 2.5 hours (15,000 steps) a week is recommended.
For vigorous activity, 75 minutes (9,750 steps) per week is recommended.

In other words…
3,000 steps in 30 minutes (3 miles per hour) for five days a week.
Or for vigorous activity, take 3,250 steps in 25 minutes (3.5 miles per hour) three days a week.