We walk. That’s a statement and a fact. But over the past decade we have been told that because of today’s society, the average American is NOT walking enough. This statement is undoubtedly true when you consider that America over 36.5% of Americans is now obese!
With these climbing stats, it’s no wonder that more and more Americans are now suffering from the medical ailments that have been associated with being overweight! Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death.
The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
It’s because of these growing figures that the CDC has prompted warnings that it's important that Americans adopt a new health conscious mindset to become healthier, and the sooner the better. The CDC, Mayo Clinic and other prestigious medical institutions state that walking is one of the easiest ways for us to back our bathroom scales down a few notches.
Walking an extra 40 minutes every day can reduce the number of days in the hospital for people, and lower the risk of cancer. And continually increasing our daily steps can decrease the amount of days we may be spending in the hospital for related diseases, attributed to our bulging waistlines. People who increased their steps from 4,500 to 8,800 steps per day spent an average of one less day in a hospital every three years, researchers from the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Newcastle found. They adopted a mantra that states "Any exercise is better than no exercise, and more exercise is better."
That being said, when you finally realize that you want to live a longer and more importantly, an active and mobile lifestyle when you get older you need to start now!
The first thing you need to do before you do any walking, strenuous or vigorous is get yourself checked out by your physician. Make sure you’re in good enough shape to begin and ask for advice on based on your examination, just how hard you should tackle your new lifestyle trend of getting in better health.
Once everything checks out and you get a clean bill of health from your physician, go and get yourself a “Good” pair of walking shoes. Ones that offer not only comfort but support for your arches and footpad. Get to a reputable shoe store, one that specializes in walking and running. Their staffs are usually well trained on how to fit you with the proper shoe based on the activity you’re going to be undertaking.
Next, get yourself a good, reliable pedometer or activity monitor. One that fits that bill is the Pedusa PE-771 Multi-Function Pedometer It counts your steps, the distance you travel, your stride and the calories you’re burning during your walking session. It also has a 7-day memory so that you can track just how well you are doing each week and then record that data so you can compare each week against yourself and the goal you set for yourself! Then after a month, up the ante on the goal and increase it to another mile. Or go by the amount of time you set aside for your walk each day, and increase that. Or you can go one better and step right up to an Activity Monitor like the Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch that’s geared for the person who takes their fitness commitment seriously. Even though you’re just walking for now, later, when you get in better shape you have a tool already on hand, or should I say wrist, to monitor your heart rate along with your steps. It’s built to track your workouts, monitor your performance stats, and gauge your progress. Fitbit’s “Pure Pulse” feature offers continuous heart rate and multisport modes enhance every exercise, while next-generation features like Connected GPS and FitStar workouts on your wrist help you take your fitness to the next level.
So what are you waiting for? If your already doing your best and committed to walking that 10,000 steps and beyond, Good for YOU! But why not share this blog post with a friend or family member that you know could use some incentive to get more active and get their life on a track to live a healthier, longer and active lifestyle.
Any questions, we are always here at PedometersUSA.com