Pedometer Steps is one way of assessing the amount of normal walking done daily and then adding to it with the object of becoming a physically active person and simultaneously losing weight.
The advantages of counting pedometer steps at the beginning is to focus on a doable goal with easily recognisable results-the increased pedometer steps count. Although weight loss will most likely occur before you reach the 10,000 steps a day goal, with this target in mind it allows you to be more patient about the actual weight loss results.
As long as the measuring device is consistently measuring and you are able to assess weight loss or increased physical movement then you have enough information to start walking for weight loss.
If you go from no exercise to regular exercise without increasing your calorie intake then you should lose weight-unless you are doing weights or weight training. Walking is also a weight bearing exercise. Developing muscles increases their weight. This is generally a healthy weight compared to fat. You will also lose inches and look like you’re losing weight. Effectively you are, you’re losing unhealthy weight and replacing it with healthy weight!
The 10,000 steps a day method is considered a reasonable guideline, and is a minimum requirement to be classed as an active person. Combined with calorie controlled eating it works to reduce weight and fat.
Lots of people opt for weighting themselves daily which is recommended by doctors in particular. This can be confusing and in the beginning keeping the program simple is a good idea! The confusion comes from the variation in results, or lack of results over time. Weigh in but not daily, make it fortnightly if you can wait that long! Concentrate on the weight loss- in that time one or two pounds would be good.
Whether it’s counting pedometer steps or the weight scales it doesn’t matter if it is accurate!
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Are you hesitating about getting a pedometer? I’ve talked to lots of people who do. In a busy schedule it’s just one more thing to organise and although it sounds attractive to burn calories walking and come away with everything in the wardrobe looking better, just by strapping on a little machine and counting pedometer steps, you’re sure it would take “more” for weight loss. And it does. Strapping it on is the start, and a great one, but the overall process, for the big payoffs, is long term.
Maybe you are mixed up about the weight loss requirements-how much is it about what I eat and how much about movement?
In all liklihood you are lying to yourself (if you are overweight) about both!
From personal experience and from watching others, I know how easy it is to over estimate the amount of walking we do in an average day, and how much high calorie food we eat. The only way to know is to count pedometer steps and keep a food journal.
The 10,000 pedometer steps daily idea is the perfect process for couch potatoes. Come to grips with how little you move normally by measuring steps through wearing a pedometer and then increase the number and burn calories walking.
One thing is certain -it is amazing how quickly those pedometer steps mount up when you start consciously walking for weight loss.
The biggest surprise for most sedentary people is how little activity is part of their normal life. Guessing tends to create a false impression of your activity level. It’s usually just plain wrong. Once you’ve got a real feel for how many pedometer steps you do daily, you’ll understand why you are overweight.
Then there is the issue of eating as if you are an active person!
It’s simple-don’t!
Unless you are.
Here’s one tip which helps in this area: take advantage of the salad dressing sprays to control the amount of dressing you use. One spray of Praise French Spritz equals less than one calorie.
As with using a pedometer, there are many ways to reduce calories without losing the enjoyment of eating. Another tip: food tastes the absolute best when you are hungry!
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If you are not normally an active person;
If you have responsibilities other than looking after your health or weight loss;
If you have been putting on weight over a number of years:
Pedometer Steps is going to be the easiest way to create a fantastic low weight lifestyle!
Weight loss is an individual process and requires individual application of whatever diet and exercise program you choose.
However you lose the weight you need to continue the basic components once the excess weight has gone to maintain most of the weight loss. Increasing your daily activity quotient is the best way to be an active slim person!
Counting pedometer steps enables you to monitor easily just how much your body has moved in any one day.
This is Key!
Since movement for most of us is unnecessary beyond the basic, we have to consciously add it back into our daily lives.
This may be a shock, but it is worth it.
Look better, move better, be more energetic, have fun, take years off your age!
Counting pedometer steps is the vital process which begins a new life!
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Is it worth taking out gym membership when using the pedometer step counting method?
At the end of the article on how to choose a gym, I make the point that wearing my pedometer is helpful even when exercising at the gym. Learning to lose weight takes many items or tools which keep you targeted and moving towards your goals. Initially if you are using the lifestyle change approach the effects are gradual and more related to well being. As you progress and understand, and more importantly integrate the process into your lifestyle, the results take place with increasing frequency.
Pedometers are a steady and reliable monitoring device which works when applied as a tool consistently. After a short learning curve the efffectiveness of recording pedometer steps for weight loss becomes obvious. It becomes a path to consistent and reliable weight loss through exercise and food control.
Now for the gym.
The gym is a great asset when walking for weight loss or using other methods to lose weight. Many people use it as the full library of exercise options and this is obviously vital part of its success. Generally it requires more than one option to ensure every day is a weight loss opportunity. Starting out counting pedometer steps or walking for weight loss can be full on for a beginner. At this stage joining a gym may see it under utilised or walking for weight loss and counting pedometer steps, neglected. Multiple strategies as a beginner can just be confusing, lead to lack of focus, energy expended without results, and a level of frustration which could tip the newbie off the process of counting pedometer steps, or more importantly pursuing a weight goal.
By counting pedometer steps, wearing that pedometer daily, and monitoring throughout the day to ensure pedometer steps are consistent with reaching the daily goal, all activity can be considered as part of the exercise program.
Some exercise though does not record accurately on most pedometers. if your weight loss program is dominated by these-running, dancing, weight training, pilates,yoga- then counting pedometer steps is not going to help but when walking to lose weight and supplementing with other activites, recording pedometer steps is essentially correct.
As you progress with the pedometer program, changes are made to facilitate continued or increases in weight loss. At this point it is a benefit to utilise both pedometer steps and other weight loss strategies to fine tune the process. The best way of course is to slowly introduce other exercises on top of the existing walking and counting pedometer steps.
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For busy people counting pedometer steps may be the best way to exercise and target walking for weight loss. The main reason for this is that when wearing a pedometer the process of exercising is automated. Each step taken is counted and once having established your base rate then to lose weight simply add extra steps into your daily routine.
As the aim is to increase the number of pedometer steps done daily over time small increases of up to 2,000 steps a day are required. For example if currently achieving 8,000 pedometer steps walking normally, now aim for 9,600 steps daily. Most times this will requires some sort of trial and error to determine how best to do this.
When I first started I was doing around 6,000 steps daily. My next goal was to move up to 8,000 pedometer steps daily. (I emphasise pedometer steps because other activity may be done which doesn’t register.)
Then I moved up to making 10,000 the daily target. At this stage I found that one of the best ways to ensure the total for daily pedometer steps was to take a dedicated walk.
Doing walking for weight loss has significant impact on the total pedometer steps and is one of my favourite ways to increase daily steps but it is of more benefit than that. The feel good factor from a long walk is to be enjoyed and over time this can become a form of stress relief or meditation.
As mentioned this is a method which counts pedometer steps and certain activities do not register correctly and will not be counted successfully. Initially this meant I did not do those things but over time as I gradually became more aware of how to get the best results with counting pedometer steps, weights, running, dancing, etc. are fun again.
Used consistently you will find the best way to make counting pedometer steps work for you. Weight loss is helped when counting calories as well. To make this easier, when you start simply eat the same. Then start cutting down around 100 calories daily as you increase your exercise. This could be one cappuccino, for instance. Each time your pedometer steps target increases to the next level, cut another 100 calories out.
Small Ways To Increase Pedometer Steps:
1. Walk once around the mall before eating or drinking.
2. Park further away from your destination than usual and walk to it.
3. Take several trips back to the car with groceries and other shopping instead of piling all purchases from different shops into a trolley.
4. Put away laundry or toys one at a time.
5. Choose the newspaper stand further away to buy magazines etc.
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When first using counting pedometer steps or using a pedometer as a weight loss tool, there are a few rookie mistakes which can discourage continuing if you don’t get on top of them directly.
The main requirement for success in weight loss by counting pedometer steps is Setting Intensity.
Most pedometers will allow you to set the degree of movement which will register as a step. This is important! Without doing this you will find that the pedometer seems to show far too many steps, depending upon the factory default setting. Each move you make from bending over to breathing hard may show as steps. Accurate pedometer steps are important as a guide to the amount of activity which counts towards weight loss and calorie burning.
Where your pedometer offers several settings go for a mid position iinitially while you get a feel for the way steps are registered.
It is easy to do this. Simply walk for 10 paces and check what shows as pedometer steps. Adjust the intensity setting up or down straight away if this is incorrect.
Now bend over or sit down slowly and note whether this has been treated as a pedometer step. Many pedometers will show a step but correct it again if there is no continued movement so you may see it flash to the next number and then revert. The pedometer is probably too lenient in its counting if slow body movements are counted as steps. The intention is to record activity which is considered to have an impact on the body’s physical condition, in particular, burn calories.
This also has an effect on the calorie counter funtion when there are several levels of intensity able to be recorded. Obviously the more intense the activity the higher the calorie burn.
Generally the calorie counting function on a pedometer isn’t taken too seriously, simply used as an indication of the direction which will burn more calories. The minutes of higher level calorie burn, if reported on your pedometer, can also be used to fine tune your exercise program.
The other effect of setting the intensity so pedometer steps are recorded accurately is that slower movements are not always registered.
So some of your favorite activies such as cycling, jogging (unless you have a running pedometer), weights class or other gym activites such as the rowing machine do not record accurately.
When starting out a walking for weight loss program particularly if you have been inactive for a long time it is better to start with an easier program such as counting pedometer seps and add the heavier workload as you make progress.
This is the best way to attune your body to the change in its lifestyle and makes it able to accomodate the new direction more easily i.e. without becoming a major disruption to your life, possibly to the point of causing you to call it off.
First off, play with the pedometer and check the pedometer steps as you go so you become familiar with how it works and what is recorded when. Soon (within a couple of days) you will have a feel for the typical number of daily pedometer steps you are performing and will be able to add to this once this is established. Averages are used a lot when determining targets.
Once you have a starting number of pedometer steps, add twenty percent to set the next target then walk towards this.
Say you have found that typically you walk about 5,000 steps. Your new target is 6,000 steps in a day. It may take you several days to get to this point. Or you may do it straight away, finding recording your activity is incentive enough to make this target easily. If so up the target goes up again.
Weight loss will start as long as you are followiing the calorie burning formula: the number of calories burned through exercise plus your daily life, must be greater than the number of calories taken in through consumption of food.
Calories Taken In Must Always Be Less Than Calories Burned for Weight Loss.
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