Walkers should aim for 100 steps per minute
Pick up the pace to get a moderate-intensity workout, researchers say
NEW YORK – People who walk for exercise should aim for a pace of 100 steps per minute to ensure their workout is intense enough, according to researchers.
Many people who want to keep fit use a pedometer to keep track of how many steps they take. However, the device gives no information on how intensely they’re exercising — that is, whether their heart rate is being raised enough to improve physical fitness. {NOTE: The Omron HJ-720IT used by WalkingSpree members registers aerobic steps, steps taken at 60 steps/minute at a minimum of 10 minutes, so this will give you somewhat of a guage}
In the new study, researchers found that the average walker should aim for 100 steps per minute at a minimum in order to get a moderate-intensity workout.
Experts recommend that adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, five times per week. If those 30 minutes are achieved in one session, that means taking a minimum of 3,000 steps per session. However, the researchers point out in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, walkers can also break those steps down into several shorter exercise sessions throughout the day.
“Because health benefits can be achieved with bouts of exercise lasting at least 10 minutes, a useful starting point is to try and accumulate 1,000 steps in 10 minutes, before building up to 3,000 steps in 30 minutes,” lead researcher Dr. Simon J. Marshall, of San Diego State University, said in a news release from the journal.
A simple pedometer and a wristwatch, he added, offer walkers a way to ensure they are working out intensely enough.
The findings are based on exercise tests given to 97 healthy adults with an average age of 32. In general, men needed to walk at a pace of 92 to 102 steps per minute to achieve a moderately intense workout for their hearts. The range for women was between 91 and 115 steps per minute.
“We believe that these data support a general recommendation of walking at more than 100 steps per minute on level terrain to meet the minimum of the moderate-intensity guideline,” Marshall said.
Leave a Comment »BBQ Summer Vegetables & Rice
Recipe from the Food Tracker
| Serving: | 6 | |||||||||||
| Preparation Time: | 15 | |||||||||||
| Cooking Time: | 10 | |||||||||||
| Total Time: | 25 | |||||||||||
| Ingredients Used: |
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| Instruction: | Place first six ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly to make a marinade. Add the squash, zucchini, eggplant and asparagus to the marinade. Marinate for at least 10 minutes. Place vegetables on the grill, turning regularly and brushing with extra marinade. Cook until brown on each side. Serve over cooked rice. If desired, use part of the leftover marinade as a sauce.
Calories: 160kcal Total Fat: 2.9g Sat Fat: 0.44mcg Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 21g Total Carbs: 31mg Dietary Fiber: 5.7g Sugar: 6mg Protein: 5.3IU Calcium: 44g
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Daylight Savings Time & Your Pedometer – Spring ahead, Step ahead
Don’t forget to change the time ahead an hour in your pedometer tonight.
If you are using the Omron USB Pedometer (HJ-720IT) to change the time, press SET and hold it down until the hour start to flash.
Then using the MEMO button scroll through the time until the time is correct.
Please double check that you have the correct AM and PM or your pedometer will reset at noon instead of midnight.
Then use the SET button to scroll through the minutes, weight and stride length until it is back to steps.
Happy Stepping!
WalkingSpree Team
Leave a Comment »Launching the new Food Tracker
We’re back from a blogging hiatus. We’ve been so busy the last couple of months with all the new changes that have been happening in WalkingSpree. We wanted to wait until they were launched so we could announce them in our blog.
The new Food Tracker has finally launched. We have partnered with CalorieKing.com to bring the most comprehensive database of up to 60,000 food items including fast food. Our unique features will enable you to:
1. Select serving sizes in both metric and imperial measures.
2. Design a meal using choosing food items with their complete nutritional value.
3. Search up to 7,000 recipes with full nutritional breakdown.
4. Easily calculate your caloric intake vs. calories burned.
5. See how many steps you need to walk to burn off a particular food item or meal.
6. Choose the nutrients important for you to monitor i.e., sugar content, fat, carbohydrate
(Clicking on the screenshots will load up a larger image)
Walk with Santa Winner
The December Walk with Santa Challenge is over! And we have to say, we are very impressed with the results. Many of you took this challenge to heart and found time to walk the required 7,000 steps/day over the holidays. We had over 500 member reach 7,000 steps 15 days of the month. 24 WalkingSpree members reached a minimum of 7,000 steps every single day in December. In total we had over 2000 members reach the target of 7,000 steps.
The winner of the free subscription to Family Doctor Magazine is Susan (sweetscott). Susan hit 7,000 steps 17 times in December, which means her name was entered in 17 times for the draw.
Family Doctor Magazine , written by health-care professionals, James Hubbard’s My Family Doctor is your trustworthy, evidence-based source for reliable health information–delivered straight to your door.
Walkers who beat Santa’s Steps all 31 days
Mark Kreyenhagen
BarbaraP
Joan Schloemer
The Timster
Go Bucks!
KC Kitty
rnkgolfer
BiggestFrank
Marion Tableriou
Diana Forrest
Randy Wooten
suemartin
TROY FREEBURG
Kathy Thrush
Cerretani
Feelinggood
Keep Movin
Lawrny
Lisa Taylor
Julskieg
Vera Herman
PaulC
Jane
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