nike+Ipod pedometer

To take complete advantage of the Nike+iPod idea, you would need an iPod Nano, Nike+ shoes and a Nike+iPod Sport Kit.

The special Nike+ shoes have a pocket beneath the insole that can house the Nike+iPod sensor. This sensor will send information to your Nano wirelessly while you run. The sensor uses a proprietary protocol to communicate (i.e. not bluetooth) with the Nano.

The Run
While running, the Nano will display pertinent information on its screen. It will continuously show the runner the duration of the run, the distance run since reset and the pace of the runner. Also, the current playing song will be shown.

If the runner has chosen to use the online component, the Nano may also have Nike+ content on the Nano that would provide training feedback, pre-built music+motivational mixes and more.

Synchronize
Once you get home to a computer, you can have the Nano synchronize your run statistics with your online account through iTunes. This allows you to recall information on past runs, analyze your performance, set milestones and break records. The Nikeplus.com account keeps statistics on your speed, distance and calories burnt on a per run, per week or per month basis. It also allows you to connect with other runners from around the web, opening it up to possibilities of competition and motivation.

The online component also features “Nike-created content”, workout-specific mixes that offer tips and motivation with music, celebrity athlete playlists and podcasts through the iTunes Music Store.

So What?
If you run often, you have probably already made up your mind as to whether this is a good idea or not. If you already are a slave to the pedometer and keep spreadsheets of past performance, this will make it easier on you. The average runner, who may not be as obsessive, may still find it interesting to keep stats if they already own a Nano and are in the market for new shoes.

For the rest of us—those who don’t run religiously—there is an element of “so what?” in this deal. Yes, it may inspire an impulse-buy that would re-enforce our guilt, but we have a nagging “so what?” in the back of our head too.

The answer may be a little complex. For a long time we have seen the iPod Halo effect being talked about—how the iPod is supposed to boost Apple’s Macintosh sales. There is no clear indication that this has happened. What is clear that an entire iPod accessory industry has arisen out of nowhere and is now a business that keeps many companies afloat. The Nike deal, along with many car deals before it, shows the iPod effect at a much higher level- where even if a small percentage of the huge user base of the iPod can be convinced to choose Nike over Adidas it would make a huge difference. In that respect, the importance of such an alliance for Nike is obvious.

From Apple’s point of view, as these ties become stronger, the iPod effect becomes the MS Windows effect. At that point, people may stick with the iPod through inertia and because it works with everything else. If your iPod just works with your car, your shoes and everything else you own, how likely are you to switch to another brand’s music player? The more pervasive these deals become, the harder it will become to separate a person from their iPod.

Cameron: Pedometer battle pits me against a dirty dog

Cameron: Pedometer battle pits me against a dirty dog

May 27, 2006

As I explained last week, my next-door neighbor, Tom, started a feud with me in the most underhanded of fashions: He bought me a birthday gift.

The so-called "present" was a pedometer, a little device that sits on your hip and supposedly improves your health by registering how many steps you take in a day, though it doesn't give you any credit for taking a nap. Sleep is very important, too.

Normally, when someone gives me such a thoughtful gift, I wrap it back up and give it to someone else, but in this case I wound up registering with Tom as my "walk buddy" on the walkstyles.com Web site, a place where people can go and see how much more they're walking than Tom.

I'll note that there's no corresponding site where you can visit and compare how many grilled cheese sandwiches you've eaten in a day, or how many beers you've had compared with the national average. These walking people are real hypocrites.

The pedometer can register only 99,999 steps in a 24-hour period, which seemed less than adequate, especially since without any special effort at all I was able, my first day, to run up a score of 612. Tom hit only 490.

"I marched up and down the driveway a few times," I explained when he called.

"You can do that?" he demanded, outraged.

My first week, I beat Tom every day, but I was careful not to gloat. "You're not even a man," I told him. "My little sister walks more than you do."

Things changed the second week: I uploaded a personal best of more than 2,100 steps, then recoiled in horror when I saw that Tom had hit 8,700! I felt personally betrayed: Tom was missing the whole point of this thing, which was that I was supposed to win.

"What are you doing?" I shouted. "You can't walk that much in a day - it's unhealthy!"

"I'm looking at the WalkStyles Web site right now. Your graph looks like it's crawling under a fence," he taunted.

"Walk style - yeah, right. You have no sense of style; your favorite sweatshirt has a purple duck on it," I complained bitterly.

"Yeah, that's another thing: Are you done borrowing that? Because I'd really like it back."

"Sure. I'll walk it back over to you, you ungrateful jerk," I snarled.

"I bought you a pedometer and you call me a jerk and I'm the one who is ungrateful?"

"If the shoe fits, put it on and walk 8,700 steps," I retorted, triumphantly winning the debate.

And that's how it started - a contest fought by feet, a battle for our very soles. I hit 9,200, but Tom recorded 11,600. I put down 12,200, and Tom fired back with 13,900. "This escalation is ridiculous!" I stormed at him.

"I'm winning," he responded irrelevantly.

"You're acting like a child!" I yelled, hanging up on him by banging the phone in its cradle a half-dozen times.

My life became an obsessive quest for pedometer points. When a group in Winnipeg, Manitoba, called to ask if I would speak to its convention, I had only one question: "How many steps would that be from here?" The whole thing was so toxic to my system I began to shed pounds. (I never wanted to lose weight from exercise - I wanted to lose it from ice cream.) My lungs were hurting from all the fresh air, and I started waking up every morning with a loathsome energy that made oversleeping impossible.

Yet despite all this, Tom remained inanely fixated on the competition, beating me nearly every single day. I began to question why I was friends with such a stupid, repugnant, abhorrent, overreacting person.

One day I was doing a few laps around the block before setting off on my first walk of the afternoon when I noticed Tom's dog wandering loose in the neighborhood. And what did I see attached to her collar?

Tom's pedometer.

I've tried to have a reasonable conversation with Tom about this, but he refuses to answer his door.

He says my death threats make him afraid.

Top 10 Exercise Tips For Rapid Weight Loss

People are confused about how to achieve healthy weight loss that's permanent. That's why we've created this list of the Top 10 Exercise Tips For Rapid Weight Loss. The best weight loss program absolutely must include regular exercise, so with that premise in place let's take a look at some real, honest and accurate weight loss information.

1. Our first exercise tip is to ignore some of the weight control advice from the experts. For at least the last year, there's been a big push by several authorities (including the Surgeon General of the United States) to get people walking. Many people have been encouraged to walk 10,000 steps per day to maintain fitness, and "10,000 Clubs" have cropped up all over the country. Unfortunately, just walking won't lead to much in the way of fat loss. Research done in Canada found that people who perform a moderate intensity activity (like walking) lose a lot less fat than those who exercise intensely. The primary reasons are that walking doesn't get you into the target heart rate zone and doesn't increase your metabolism very much following exercise. Because walking doesn't burn much muscle glycogen, the body won't metabolize much fat after a walking workout. A much better approach is to exercise intensely (above 65% of maximum effort).

2. To solve your weight issue once and for all, it's vital to incorporate some type of weight lifting into your exercise plan. Scientists at the University of Colorado (Denver) discovered that resistance training for seventy minutes burned as many calories as running at seventy percent of maximum capacity for fifty minutes (source: Med Sci Sports Exerc; 34: 1793-1800, 2002). When you consider all the other benefits imparted by resistance training (stronger bones, ligaments, muscles, etc.) it becomes clear that incorporating weight training into your workout regiment is one weight loss tip that works.

3. Our third exercise tip is quite simple: just do it! Exercise is simply the best, fastest and most efficient way to reach your ideal weight and lose fat for good. Dieting doesn't even compare. When you rely on dieting alone to help you achieve your fitness goals you will always be disappointed. As reported in 'Fitness Rx' in August of 2004, dieting without exercise is a sure recipe for disaster because when you diet without exercising up to 1/2 of the weight loss we experience will be from muscle loss. See, if you dramatically lower your caloric intake and you're not exercising, your body will lose muscle. Since muscle is the 'fat burning furnace' of the body, the absolute last thing you want to do on a weight management program is give it up voluntarily. Consistent exercise, and particularly a weight lifting program, will preserve muscle and burn more fat.

4. This next exercise tip may seem like common sense, but it still bears repeating. If you want to reach your ideal body weight faster, then you must participate in weight loss exercise more often. It was back in 1996 that the Surgeon General began encouraging Americans to work out in 30-minute increments. Working independently, the United States National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization later reported that people wanting to lose weight faster should exercise up to sixty minutes per day. Research done at the University of Minnesota has proven that you can boost your weight loss results by up to forty percent by simply doubling your exercise time (source: Am J Clin Nutr; 78: 684-689, 2003). Will 30-minutes of exercise still work? Of course! But to really burn fat quickly, consider upping the ante to sixty minutes per day.

5. As if you weren't convinced already, our next exercise tip also encourages you to add a weight lifting routine to your workout strategy. The reason is that only resistance training (commonly referred to as weight lifting) has the ability to add muscle to your body. Aerobic exercise won't do it, and dieting certainly won't either. Only regular weight lifting workouts will add the muscle you need to burn fat and keep it off forever. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, burning calories 24/7. As a matter of fact, one single pound of muscle burns about fifty calories more per day than a pound of fat. So it stands to reason that the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn around the clock (yes, even while you're sleeping). So get started on that weight lifting program today.

6. You've probably heard that you should find a workout buddy to help you get to the gym. That's good advice, but a better idea is to find a 'challenger'. A 'challenger' is someone that gets in your face and challenges you to do better. He or she makes you uncomfortable by making you accountable. Sometimes the best thing someone can do for us is to make us mad, embarrassed or uneasy! This prompts us into action, and that action is for our own benefit. Do you have a 'challenger' in your life? Get one, and get one today! Maybe it can be your friend from work, or perhaps someone from church. How about a sibling? A 'challenger' is someone who knows you well enough to push when you need to be pushed, who will not let you make excuses. A good 'challenger' will call you at home and question why you're not at the gym today. A good 'challenger' will stop by your desk at work to see what you're eating today. A good 'challenger' will not let you fail.

7. The next exercise tip is that, in addition to a 'challenger', you need to find an 'encourager' to help you with your diet and exercise program. An 'encourager' helps you without accusing. An 'encourager' supports, believes in, and bolsters you at all times. Do you have an 'encourager' for your battle against fat? You should get one. Everyone needs an 'encourager' just as much as they need a 'challenger', perhaps more. Whereas a 'challenger' will demand that you get to the health club today, an 'encourager' will pick you up on their way to the gym and make it fun enough that you're glad you went too.

8. This exercise tip is to seek expert advice so you get everything you can out of your workout sessions. Let's face it, nobody can possibly be proficient in all areas. There are times in our lives when we need to get some expert assistance. When the car is broken, you get help from a mechanic. When you have legal trouble, you get help from an attorney. When the refrigerator breaks down you call a specialist. When you're about to fight the world heavyweight champion, you seek help from an experienced trainer. And when you're trying to write your own weight loss success story, you get assistance from an expert. If you're serious about this fight against fat, then you need to find an expert. Ask a personal trainer or gym staff member how they can help you jump-start your fitness program and start making serious progress. Nobody has to fight this fight alone, and a fitness expert can help you exercise to lose weight permanently.

9. If you don't have time to complete a full exercise session, at least do SOMETHING physical. If you simply don't have time to get into the fitness center at all it's better to make sure you get at least some level of activity. You could, for example, walk up the stairs during your lunch hour and burn 100 calories in a ten-minute climb. The bottom line is that every activity burns at least a few calories (even watching television burns 75 calories per hour!), so even if you skipped your workout today you can still get active.

10. The final exercise tip in this list is to work out where you'll find the most weight loss support and weight loss motivation to encourage you. Even the best weight loss system in the world is without value if you don't follow it, and the most advanced weight machine won't do you a bit of good if you don't use it (that's why there's exercise equipment sold at almost every yard sale). Many people find the support and motivation they need at a health club. Together with others who are 'in the same boat', you're much more likely to stick with your healthy diet and exercise program.

If you're ready to lower your body fat percentage once and for all, try these top ten exercise tips for rapid weight loss. The only thing you have to lose is the weight!

ABC News: Excerpt: 'Fitness Unleashed'

ABC News: Excerpt: 'Fitness Unleashed' : "The human body is designed for function and for movement. Up until the twentieth-century inventions of the automobile, the washing machine, riding lawnmowers, power tools, personal computers, and countless other gadgets and gizmos designed to reduce the physical labor in our personal and professional lives, average folks were in near-constant motion.

A recent study that highlighted this point was led by researchers from the University of Tennessee. To try to come up with an assessment of the physical exertion previous generations might have made, the team asked members of an old-order Amish community in Canada to wear pedometers as they went about their daily lives. The chosen community is one that shuns modern conveniences and continues to maintain a self-sufficient farming lifestyle. Though there was no deliberate effort made by the participants to exercise, as they kept up their normal routines, the men logged an average of more than 18,000 steps a day. The women logged an average of more than 14,000. To put those numbers in perspective, the average American is currently walking between 3,000 and 5,000 steps a day, and the goal you'll read about in this book, the one fitness plans and gurus across the country have embraced as an ideal exertion level, is 10,000 steps. Taking close to double that number of steps, the Amish men were getting the same level of workout as a long-distance runner by doing just their daily work. Though their other physical efforts were not measured, it's a pretty safe bet that the people in this community were also doing more lifting, bending, squatting, stretching, and general exercising than your average, say, computer programmer, magazine editor, or retail-store clerk."

How Many Steps Per Day Do Children Need? - Printer Friendly

How Many Steps Per Day Do Children Need? - Printer Friendly: "About.com
How Many Steps Per Day Do Children Need?

From Wendy Bumgardner,Your Guide to Walking.
With childhood obesity skyrocketing in countries around the world, researchers asked how much activity a child needs to be in a healthy body composition zone. Pedometers easily measure how much a child is moving between activities and play, and these 'lifestyle steps' can be enough to keep a child in a healthy weight zone.
How Many Steps a Child Needs
Studies showed that for 6–12 year olds, girls needed 12,000 steps/day and boys needed 15,000 steps/day to stay in a healthy Body Mass Index - BMI. The study reviewed research of almost 2000 children in the USA, Australia, and Sweden. The study was published in the June, 2004 'Preventative Medicine' by Catrine Tudor-Locke Ph.D. and associates.
Small Steps Add Up
While diet contributes to childhood obesity, activity seems to be the key for a child to grow with a healthy weight. Parents can make a game of increasing activity by giving their child a pedometer and encouraging them to increase their daily steps. Steps will be counted when a child walks, runs or jumps, although not while biking or skateboarding.
Make it a Family Game
Counting steps is not just for kids. Buy a pedometer for each member of your family and have a healthy competition. The first week, simply track average steps. The second week, reward each person who increases their daily steps by 2000. Continue the next week rewarding those who increase them another 2000 until they reach the goal of 10,000 for adults, 12,000 for girls and 15,000 for boys. Have a big celebration when anyone reaches those major goals."

Around the world with Bilious Blog � How to do 10,000 steps a day

Around the world with Bilious Blog � How to do 10,000 steps a day: "How to do 10,000 steps a day

This morning I caught the bus in. It involved 20 minutes walking, 5 minutes on the bus, and another 10 minutes on foot. The 20 minute walk counted just over 2000 steps. I tend to get a background of 3000-3500 steps so I ought to find an extra hour and a quarter for walking in the day to make up for the remaining 6500-7000.

I KNEW our office’s last location was ideal. It was a pleasant 35 minute walk. The new office’s route takes me down a long main road rather than backstreets, river, cyclepath, fields, and university campus.

Maybe it’s time to look for a job at the science park again…"

Healthcare Intelligence Network � Blog Archive � 10,000 Steps a Day

Healthcare Intelligence Network � Blog Archive � 10,000 Steps a Day: "10,000 Steps a Day

This post was written by Melanie Matthews

As the obesity crisis continues to loom large (pun intended) in the United States, I am forced on an almost daily basis about the factors driving this crisis.

Each day that I drop my daughter off to school, I am amazed at the jockeying of cars that occurs as parents try to get the closest parking space to the school. Yesterday, while picking up my daughter from school, I literally could not drive down the street because parents were double-parked picking up their children.

Surely these parents (and children, too!) might benefit from a walk down the street on a lot of different levels, like having a chance to talk one-on-one without the distractions in the car.

These parents will never get to 10,000 steps in a day if they continue to seek the closest parking space at school. They are, I’m sure, the same people who jockey for the “best” parking space at the mall, the grocery store and in every other parking lot.

Maybe we need to re-define the “best” parking space. Take for instance, Wegmans’ grocery stores, which have a designated parking spot at the far end of their lots with signs that read: “This space reserved for everyone that knows that a few extra steps every day can help them be healthy.”

Wegmans’ does not just pay lip service to this walking challenge; it also motivates its employees to lead healthier lifestyles through its eat well.live well program.

Wegmans’ employees also participate in the Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield Step Up program, which is an Internet-based program designed to help participants take small steps every day toward reaching goals like walking a little bit more and eating a little bit smarter. The program allows people to set healthy goals and shows easy ways to achieve them. The Excellus program even allows participants to challenge friends, family or entire organizations to be healthier with its Healthy Competition option. The Excellus program is one of the wellness case studies highlighted in our new report, Workplace Wellness Case Studies: Tactics To Promote Health and Reduce Risk.

Perhaps if I suggest it at the next PTA meeting, my daughter’s school might just launch a 10,000 step program…"

10000 Steps to a Better You

10000 Steps to a Better You: "10000 Steps to a Better You

by Anne Berline

How does losing 35 pounds a year without drastically changing your diet sound? It can be done, and all it takes is 10,000 steps. Yes, you heard me correctly. 10000 steps a day can burn enough calories to trim off 35 pounds in one year.

I first heard about the 10,000 steps program when I vacationed with my mother last summer in the Hamptons. As we left the house that morning with my two sons, she strapped a pedometer to her belt. She checked it periodically throughout the day, and as I settled to relax on a bench toward the day's conclusion she remarked, 'Ok, I'm going to walk around the park twice. I only have 500 more steps to go.'

The secret? Walking. By walking 10000 steps a day, you can burn as many calories as you do when engaging in any of the following activities:

* Swim 90 minutes

* Bike ride for 70 minutes

* Play 10 holes of golf (subtract the cart)

* Walk 50 blocks

* Play soccer for 90 minutes

* Work two hours in your garden

But how do you fit in 10,000 steps? Count every step you take during the day -- Mom clips on her pedometer first thing in the morning and takes it off before going to bed. Add in those extra steps with any of the following suggestions:

* Park at the extreme far end of the lot at the mall.

* Leave your car and walk to work. Or park three blocks further away in the morning and walk.

* Walk the dog.

* Use the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

* Get up and do it yourself. Instead of asking one of your kids to retrieve something for you, take a little walk. Believe me, those little trips add up.

* Go sightseeing. As a bonus, either good or bad, you'll also freshen up your perspective on your hometown.

* Walk to the grocery. If you're just heading out to pick up some whole weat bread, leave the car at home and take a walk.

* On the phone? Walk and talk at the same time. You can do 2000 steps during a 15 minute phone call... easy.

Don't think about your speed -- the idea is to get moving. In fact, if you're puffing too hard to say hi to a friend, you're walking too hard. Slow down. At the ideal pace you should be able to carry on a conversation, but not belt out an opera.

100000 steps may seem a smidge daunting at first, but just keep in mind that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Lace up those walking shoes, and let's roll."

MyPyramid.gov - United States Department of Agriculture - Home

MyPyramid.gov - United States Department of Agriculture - Home

Eating becomes a choice, not a habit

My body: I weigh less than I have in a long time (down nearly 12 pounds) but not as little as I plan to weigh. I have gotten a number of positive comments — the weight loss can be seen. I can’t see it, but I am getting into clothes I have not been able to wear in a couple of years or more.

What I’m most proud of: That I am choosing when to eat and what to eat, rather than eating out of habit, boredom, frustration, etc.

My “sweat” routine: Walking between 8,000 and 10,000 steps every day.

What’s working for me: Portion control and the walking.

My biggest support: I can’t name one person because everyone who knows has been so full of encouragement — my family, my church family, my co-workers, my friends. It has really been amazing.

When I eat out, I ...: Think and consider the menu. I’m not afraid (to wait) to order the next item after I finish the preceding to see if I’m full. I’ve found that I’m full after the appetizer or salad, so I stop.

How I plan to “survive” Easter: My kids are away for spring break with their grandparents, so there will not be any Easter candy around. So it will be easy from that standpoint. I will go out to dinner Sunday, and I plan to follow my usual routine of ordering.

If you’re trying to lose weight you must try this: Nabisco 100-calorie cookie packs and low-fat Fig Newtons.

My mini-goal: To lose one pound per week, but I’ve actually been doing on average better than that. Last week I lost 3 pounds, but I didn’t believe it so I weighed myself again Tuesday and Wednesday mornings as well to make sure.

Weight-Loss Web site of the Week

mypyramid.gov

If you haven’t acquainted yourself with the new food pyramid, here’s the place to start. MyPyramid recognizes that one pyramid doesn’t fit all when it comes to living healthy. With the site’s interactive tool you can plug in your age, gender and how much daily exercise you get, and it will make personalized daily food recommendations. Mine: 6 ounces of grains, 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk and 5 1/2 ounces of meat and beans daily. I need to work on those veggies.

Toronto Raptor Mascot joins students from Toronto Catholic District School Board to launch Live It!(TM) Program

Coca-Cola unveils its national program to encourage students to build and
maintain a healthy, active lifestyle

TORONTO, April 10 /CNW/ - Across Canada, Coca-Cola has begun rolling out
Live It!(TM), a national program designed to engage and inspire students
across the country to embrace a healthy, active lifestyle through physical
activity and healthy eating choices both at home and at school. Today Peter
Fonseca, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health Promotion, joined
students at Immaculate Conception School in Toronto to formally launch the
program in their school board.
"The importance of healthy eating and active living among children and
youth can not be overstated," said Peter. "It is well documented that healthy,
active children perform better in school and that healthy lifestyle patterns
established in childhood will likely follow into adulthood. This province is
facing an epidemic of overweight and obesity, and the single best way to fight
back is to educate our youth about the importance of healthy choices."
Originally developed by The Coca-Cola Company in the US in collaboration
with the School Nutrition Association and the National Association for Sport &
Physical Education, the new Live It! program features inspirational figures,
including six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and LeBron James,
who promote healthy eating and physical activity.
The unbranded program includes a two-pronged approach to addressing
health and wellness in our schools:

Step With It(TM) - Focuses on the health benefits of being active-through
any form of physical activity. Students will receive a personal
Stepometer(TM), a student activity guide to log their steps, and activity
cards that suggest fun ways to achieve 10,000 steps daily. Whether
students are running, dancing, stepping or walking, the idea is to make
physical activity fun even for those who aren't involved in athletics

Fit it In(TM)-- Emphasizes nutritious alternatives (fruits, vegetables)
for students when making choices for lunch and all other meal occasions.
Each student will receive activity cards that provide food tips for each
day, helping them choose their meals and snacks according to Canada's
Food Guide. For example, a tip from the milk and grain groups suggests
students try a whole grain cereal with low fat milk for a snack rich in
vitamins, minerals and fiber.

"Proper nutrition and physical activity in our schools are vital
components in teaching young people how to maintain a healthy lifestyle for
the long-term," said Sal Piccininni, Trustee, Toronto Catholic District School
Board. "The Toronto Catholic District School Board is proud to be
collaborating with Coca-Cola to bring this fun and educational program to our
students."
The final element is a series of posters endorsing healthy lifestyles
which feature Lance Armstrong and several other celebrities and inspirational
figures including NBA star Lebron James, WNBA stars Tamika Catchings, Lisa
Leslie and Diana Taurasi, and Piper Denlinger, a San Diego firefighter. In
addition, the program features Lance Armstrong in a short video explaining the
program and its importance for students. This year, Live It! is expected to
reach 20,000 students across Canada.
"There are many factors at play in helping our young people build
balanced lifestyles," said Michael Clark, Area Vice-President Ontario,
Coca-Cola Bottling Company. "Because of our long-time partnerships with
Canadian schools, Coca-Cola wants to play a positive and effective role in
helping to promote healthy, active lifestyles for youth."

By the numbers: BMH dietitian shares numbers everyone should know (USEFUL)

We all know our social security numbers, our pin numbers and several phone numbers, but registered dietitian Pat Wallin wants to know how well we know some other important figures.

Wallin has been traveling around the Southeast as part of a campaign called ``Family Figures: Numbers You Should Know.'' In addition to being a registered dietitian, she is also a program director with the Southeast Dairy Association. She is also a member of the American Dietetic Association and served as president of the Tennessee Dietetic Association.

These numbers relate to our health, and they stretch from 1 to 10,000.

``One time a year medical exams represent the first number,'' Wallin said. She said scheduling these visits helps keep problems in check.

Five is the number of times a family should strive to each dinner together each week. Wallin said there is actually research from the University of Michigan that shows children and adolescents who eat with their families a minimum of five times a week do better academically and behavior wise.

Wallin said some busy families may find that to be difficult to achieve.

``The issue is, you just need to do it,'' she said. ``Maybe you have to cut back on some other activities. The research showed that eating family meals together had more impact on academic success than even time spent in school.''

The number 120/80 is probably recognizable by most adults. That's the number we should all try to achieve when it comes to our blood pressure; that number or preferably lower.

About one-third of all Americans have high blood pressure, Wallin said. That can lead to a number of problems, including heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Three ways to affect blood pressure in a positive way are to exercise, not smoke and limit alcohol consumption.

A diet referred to as the DASH plan -- which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension -- is one research shows can lower blood pressure. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The plan includes eight servings a day of fruits and vegetables and three servings per day of low-fat dairy.

``That combination,'' Wallin said, ``was able to lower blood pressure better than some medications or at least as well as some medications,'' Wallin said. She advises everyone, however, to check with their physicians before going on any specific diet.

Eight servings may seem like a lot, but this registered dietitian said one serving equals about a half-cup. A two-cup salad, then, would be four servings.

``If you add a vegetable and a fruit to each meal, it adds up pretty fast,'' Wallin said.

The three servings of low-fat diary should be either milk, cheese or yogurt, Wallin advised. Fat-free yogurt with granola and blueberries, she said, is a way to get whole grains, dairy and fruit into one breakfast.

For another number to remember, Wallin tossed out 206 -- the number of bones in the adult body. Her way of bring up osteoporosis and the importance again of a balanced diet and exercise.

``You don't get to be 60 and develop osteoporosis,'' she said. ``It is happening all along. To build bones to last a lifetime you need two things -- physical activity and a balanced diet that includes three servings of dairy. A balanced diet makes a difference.''

And so does physical activity. Research shows the combination of the two cuts risk for some cancers, lowers high blood pressure, cuts the risk for heart disease and osteoporosis.

So how do we get moving? Wallin said that's where the number 10,000 comes into play.

America on the Move, a national effort to get Americans to move more and eat less, suggests we wear pedometers clipped to our waists and strive to get in 10,000 steps per day, the equivalent of five miles.

Tennessee on the Move goes a step further to challenge us to also cut back 100 calories per day.

Then there cholesterol numbers. Our total cholesterol should not be more than 200. Good cholesterol numbers are over 35; bad cholesterol should be 130 or less.

In recent months we have also heard about triglycerides. Wallin said that number should be 150 or less.

Those numbers can be checked at the annual medical exam.

Exercising while watching television or talking on the phone are two ways Wallin said busy people can work in some physical activity. Exercising for 10 minutes at a time is better than doing nothing, she said.

Watching portion sizes is one more way to get healthy. Portion sizes have increased two to five times over the past 30 years, Wallin said. The difference between a regular size hamburger and one of those larger ones can be as much as 400 calories.

``We here all this stuff and it sounds so overwhelming,'' Wallin said. ``I think that's where America on the Move and Tennessee on the Move have the right approach. It doesn't matter where you are now -- just start something little.''

Step up your fitness regime and enjoy better health

By Dr. Dave Hepburn

Every morning I am forced to walk my dog, who wakes me up at the crack of dawn by placing a wet nose on any part of my anatomy that happens to be extending over the edge of the bed. Should I happen to be in dreamland, protecting my rhinoceros farm against a flock of savage Beanie Babies while wearing only golf cleats, her well-placed snout will cause me to bolt straight up in bed, frightening off both Beanies and rhinos. This seems to please her immensely judging by the dance of joy she performs before dragging me out for her walkies.

We plod along to the park where I greet other drowsy dog owners with a groggy hello and a quick sniff. The dogs greet each other as well. But as I reach my house again, I at least appreciate that I have already undertaken a third of the 10,000 steps I need to take every day.

Being a doctor is a sedentary job. I have a 50-year-old friend who has been a letter carrier for threescore years and has been trim and slim as a result of his active job of losing mail and squirting mace at rottweilers.

But he retired last year and lo and behold, much to my sedentary pleasure, a wee pot has formed just above his belt line. I am overjoyed.

Due to the car, computer and cable, we have become a super-sized sedentary society. I asked several patients to guesstimate the number of steps they took in a day based on standards I gave them. Then they used a pedometer and were shocked to know how sedentary their lives really were. Ten thousand steps (roughly five miles) is the equivalent of 50 pounds a year of calorie burn. Many websites can be found under "10,000 steps" to introduce you to how to take these steps. Of course if you need a website to learn how to walk, then apparently you might need the 12 steps site first.

A recent study from the hold-the-mayo clinic found that obese folks (BMI>33) spent an average of two hours a day longer sitting than their leaner counterparts. Though both groups were found to lie down for the same amount of time, obese people sat for an average of 9.5 hours a day, expending 350 fewer calories! That adds up to 36 pounds a year.

Our routine energy expenditure is known as Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT. It describes how active we are when we're not exercising. Those with low NEAT often complain of having "low metabolism" when in fact they just feel a need to spend more time sitting. Those with higher NEAT may actually have a difference in their brain chemicals that requires them to sit less.

So to avoid being labeled sedentary, take 10,000 steps every day in ADDITION to your exercise program and sit less than 7.5 hours. Add up the difference and you will lose 86 pounds per year and therefore disappear altogether in three years. If you need help getting started, you can borrow my rhinoceros.

City officials want residents to take a walk with them for health

EULESS -- The longest journey, so the saying goes, begins with a single step.

But Euless and Harris Methodist H.E.B. hospital officials are urging residents to push a little harder as they begin the road to fitness.

Steppin' Out, an event kicking off a community health program, will be April 24 to May 30. Participants will be urged to try to take 10,000 steps each day. They'll have walking buddies -- and moral support -- in City Council members, who will walk with them. And although it's Euless taking the initiative, anyone is welcome to put on their walking shoes and join in, City Manager Joe Hennig said.

Those who take part may pick up a free pedometer at any of five Euless locations beginning Monday, city officials said.

One in three Tarrant County residents is overweight, according to United Way Tarrant County and area health officials. And a report by Tarrant County health officials indicates that 64 percent of people 18 and older in Tarrant County were either overweight or obese in 2004, a greater proportion than statewide (61.5 percent) or nationwide (59.5 percent). United Way Tarrant County and city and county health officials have urged leaders in business, government, education and health to join efforts to fight obesity, which can contribute to health problems and higher medical costs.

Obesity is excessive body fat in relation to lean body mass, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overweight refers to high body weight in relation to some height-based standard. Some overweight people are not fat, they have large muscle mass.

Euless City Council member Leon Hogg said people who wish to take part in the walks need not be intimidated if they are not fit.

"If they want to come and do a slow walk, come walk with me," Hogg said. "I'm diabetic, but I keep it under control with diet and pills. Sometimes I have a hip that hurts, and I can't power walk or walk very far. But I try to walk as much as I can. I hope a lot of people show up."

A fringe benefit: Those who walk with Hogg on April 25 at Heritage Park can learn about local history. The park houses Euless' first brick home, an old barn, a windmill and a log cabin, Hogg said.

Meanwhile, council member Linda Martin will lead Power Walk the Preserve on April 26. The walk begins at Bob Eden Park, and participants will be able to see native trees in a nature preserve. The trees will be labeled, she said.

"There are a lot of trees and shade, but I'm going out there rain or shine," she said. "I don't do a lot of walking, but I work out three times a week and figure I'm in good shape."

She said the 10,000 steps works out to three to five miles, depending on the length of each step.

Participants may register and complete a walking log and return it to the city before May 6 to receive gifts, city officials said.

AARP Hawaii’s 10-week walking program helps adults blaze lifetime fitness trail

AARP Hawaii's 10-week walking program is designed for adults midlife and older who are interested in starting walking support groups with friends, neighbors or co-workers. New online tools can help you track your progress and get motivated to increase your number of daily steps. If you want to organize a group of friends and neighbors to hold each other accountable for regular physical activity, AARP will provide pedometers for your entire group. For more information call 545-6008.

Question: What's the hardest thing about starting a walking program?

Answer: Starting a program is easy. Sticking with it is the biggest challenge. That's why AARP is encouraging people to form walking support groups and use pedometers and online tracking tools to stay motivated ...

Q: What do you mean by "walking support group?"

A: We want people to be part of a "team," committed to helping each other achieve their goals. They don't even have to walk together. All they have to do is check in regularly with one another to keep each other on track. This could be in person, over the phone, or via the Internet! A group can be as few as two people and as many as you like.

Q: How does the pedometer help increase physical activity?

A: Most people take between 3,000 and 4,000 steps a day. We've found that clipping a pedometer to your waist band in the morning and recording the number of steps you take throughout the day can motivate you to go beyond the average. You become much more aware of the walking you do and that pushes you to do even more by doing things like parking the car further away or taking the stairs.

Q: How high should people set their fitness goals?

A: That depends upon your fitness level when you begin. For people who have been sitting on the couch a while, a 10 percent increase in the number of steps per week is a good guideline. For those who are closer to the national average, AARP's walking program is designed to help you build up to a goal of 10,000 steps a day over a 10-week period. And one of the great features of this program is that you can record your progress online. The online program features four famous virtual trails of various lengths, so everyone can participate regardless of activity level.

Q: Tell me more about the virtual trails.

A: You can go online to register for the Step Up to Better Health program at aarp.stepuptobetterhealth.com. The program allows you to chart your walking progress "virtually" along a famous American trail. It also allows you and friends living somewhere else to walk the trails together.

Q: What do you mean?

A: Say you live in Mililani and have a friend in San Francisco who also wears a pedometer during the day. At night you can chart each other's progress virtually along the Appalachian Trail by simply inputting the number of real steps that you took during the day. In addition to being a lot of fun, it makes you more accountable for keeping up your walking regimen.

Q: Do you have to have Internet access to join an AARP walking program?

A: No ... each pedometer comes with a paper tracking tool as well.

Q: How does walking compare to other forms of exercise?

A: We have more opportunities to walk in our daily lives and it makes sense to take advantage of that. The trick is to lower your dependence on modern conveniences that engineer walking out of our lives -- such as escalators, riding lawnmowers, and most important, automobiles. Walking is the most popular physical activity in America because it's easy to do, gentle on the body and good for people of all ages and almost any fitness level.

Walking challenge promotes fitness, aids children's program (Shreveport times)

When Steelscape handed its employees pedometers as part of a companywide participation in the Willis-Knighton Health System and KSLA TV-12 Steppin' Out challenge, Lori Hammon thought it sounded interesting.

The second annual national walking challenge, which runs for seven days beginning Monday, kicking off Medical Fitness Week, encourages participants to take 10,000 steps each day and benefits Willis-Knighton's Kids in Shape program -- nearly half of each $10 registration fee for Steppin' Out will go to funding scholarships for the children's program.


For Hammon, if taking extra steps each day was going to improve her health while benefiting a program to reduce child obesity, she was all for it. But 10,000 steps each day seemed like a lot to the working mother of three.

So Hammon and many other Steelscape employees decided to do some test runs. Instead of 10,000, she was walking more than 18,000 steps during a shift of work.

Hammon likes having a job that keeps her moving all day.

"I can eat just about anything I want," she said.

But it's also been fun seeing the validation of her steps taken while walking the line at work on the pedometer.

"I don't workout otherwise," said Hammon, a California transplant who moved to the area in January to work at Shreveport's Steelscape, which produces metallic-coated and pre-painted steel coils. "I've always wanted to start, but we've been busy here at work."

But there is still time for others to sign up for the program. Entry forms are available at the four Willis-Knighton Fitness and Wellness Centers on each hospital campus.

Steelscape is paying the $10 entry fee for each of their 80 employees.

"We do monthly wellness programs to help our employees stay fit and this goes good with that goal," said company spokeswoman Linda Coleman. "It's also for a good cause."

The obesity rate in the Unites States has been termed "epidemic" by many medical professionals. The Medical Fitness Association reports 64 percent of Americans are overweight, 30 percent are obese, and $117 billion a year is spent on medical costs related to being overweight and obese.

Less than 20 percent to 30 percent of the population engages in recommended levels of physical activity.

"This program is really about just bringing awareness to people on fitness and get people of all ages more active," said Ken Paulovich, who runs the WK Fitness and Wellness Centers and is a member of the Medical Fitness Association board.

With more than 1,100 entries already turned in, Paulovich said Willis-Knighton is prepared for the large onslaught of free monthly memberships.

"We'll work it out so it doesn't happen all in the same month," he said. "But we have four fitness centers and we're ready."

Electronic Pedometers Can Help Motivate People to Move, Health Experts Say

PHOENIXVILLE - Dr. David Noyes, The Phoenixville Community Health Foundation and the Phoenixville Area YMCA are committed to creating a healthier Phoenixville.
Noyes, who is the Superintendent of the Phoenixville Area School District, is currently participating in the "Super Step Challenge" as part of the YMCA's Activate Chester County initiative to encourage families to live a healthier lifestyle by walking 10,000 steps per day.
Prompted by Noyes, the school district has partnered with the Phoenixville Hospital, the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation and the Phoenixville Area YMCA to raise funds to provide pedometers to the community to count the number of steps walked each day.
The goal for Activate Phoenixville is to get PASD students and employees walking 10,000 steps per day, which is almost the equivalent of 30 minutes of daily activity. The hope is that those students and employees will take the goal home and encourage their families to get Activated as well.
"I think it's an honorable goal to try to make a healthier community," said Noyes. "If we, as adults, model the behavior of a healthy lifestyle, it serves our students as well."
Five thousand pedometers, small pager-sized devices that attach to the belt to count the number of steps taken based on body movement, are due to arrive, courtesy of PASD and the Community Health Foundation, at the end of April, and will be distributed to the community free of charge. Noyes said he is hopeful that another batch will be available in May for the Relay For Life.
"We want to involve the entire community to prepare for Relay For Life," said Noyes.
Activate Phoenixville and Activate Chester County were born from the YMCA's Activate America program, a long-term public health initiative focused on promoting healthy living across the country.
The YMCAs in Chester County involved the school district superintendents as their Activate facilitators, and some superintendents Activated their students and their communities.
"It's one thing to model active behavior, but if it's all I did, I would be losing an opportunity to activate the kids," said Noyes.
Activate America is the YMCA of the USA's response to the country's growing health care crisis. The program is supported by numerous corporations, including Kellogg's, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this past February by donating $1 million to the program.

Electronic Pedometers Can Help Motivate People to Move, Health Experts Say

One of today's hottest exercise devices fits in your pocket, costs about $25 and is so simple a child can use it.

Electronic pedometers have become increasingly popular "movement motivators" in health promotion programs, including weight loss clinics, corporate fitness centers and physical education classes. The palm-sized gadgets clip onto your waistband and record the number of steps you take, with more sophisticated models also calculating distance covered and calories burned. The goal for good health, many experts say, is to accumulate 10,000 steps per day.

"People love it because they get immediate feedback on how active, or inactive, they are," says David Bassett, an associate professor of exercise science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Unlike old-style mechanical pedometers, the newer electronic versions are extremely accurate, says Bassett, whose study testing five popular models appeared in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

The Japanese have used electronic pedometers for more than a decade to help counteract sedentary lifestyles, Bassett notes. Nicknamed "manpo-kei," which means "10,000 steps meter" in Japanese, the devices were brought to the United States in the mid-1990s by exercise scientists who used them to determine daily activity levels in research studies.