Watching the step counter on your pedometer move up each time you take a step can be an incentive to walk more. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, you have an active lifestyle when you walk a minimum of three miles per day at a brisk pace. Participating in a pedometer challenge may give you an incentive to take more steps, which can help you lose weight or maintain your healthy weight.
Benefits
Each person who participates in a pedometer challenge can benefit from the increased activity levels and spirit of friendly competition. Additionally, Caroline R. Richardson and colleagues performed a meta-analysis of nine studies on the effectiveness of pedometer use for weight loss. Published in the Annals of Family Medicine in 2008, Richardson found that participants who took part in a walking program using pedometers lost a modest amount of weight. The longer the program continued, the more weight the participants lost. Staying at a healthy weight can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.
Function
A pedometer challenge serves to motivate the members to become more physically active. As you walk, either individually or as a team, realizing that about every 2,000 steps you take is about a mile and reaching 10,000 steps equates to walking about five miles may increase your desire to walk more. Over 72.5 million adults were obese as of 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Encouraging your friends and co-workers to participate in a challenge with you can set an example to others while improving your own level of physical fitness.
Types
You may find pedometer challenges offered through online fitness websites, a community center or hospital or in your workplace. The organizing body may offer prizes or incentives to the person or team that takes the most steps during the challenge. An online challenge may require you to log onto the website and record your pedometer readings. A challenge in your town may ask you to keep a paper log and turn in the log at predetermined intervals.
Strategies
Set defined step goals for yourself to stay motivated during the challenge period. If you're relatively sedentary, clip on your pedometer and record your steps for two days. Add 10 percent to 20 percent more steps every week until you're walking an average of 10,000 steps a day. If you began at 5,000 steps per day, by the end of Week 1 you should be walking between 5,500 and 6,000 steps. Look for opportunities to walk more, whether parking at the back of your office parking lot, walking up and down the stairs five times or walking briskly in place for five minutes every hour.
Considerations
Consult your doctor before beginning a pedometer challenge. As you increase the number of steps you take, increase the speed at which you walk or jog. A faster, more intense pace helps you take more steps in the same amount of time and burns more calories. If you weigh 200 lbs., walking at a 3.5-mph pace for one hour burns about 346 calories, while jogging burns over 700 calories, according to MayoClinic.com. Combine participating in the pedometer challenge with a healthy eating plan.
References
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
- Annals of Family Medicine: A Meta-Analysis of Pedometer-Based Walking Interventions and Weight Loss
- The Walking Site: 10,000 Steps a Day
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Vital Signs: State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults -- United States, 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour
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