Can Math Improve Your Walking?

Written by Judy Bortman

What can be better for your mood, your productivity and overall well-being than walking?  It’s free, flexible, easy to do, non-polluting and a great way to get out and about. 

All walking is beneficial - whether it’s part of your daily routine, a component of your commute or how you and the kids occasionally get to school.  Walking is the most commonly reported physical activity by U.S. adults according to government data released in August 2012.

As personal technology tools proliferate, I’ve noticed that the spontaneous act of “going for a walk” has increasingly been associated with mathematics and calculations that measure speed, distance and performance.  Despite the fact that math ranked low on my list of favorite school subjects, I admit the idea of walking metrics intrigued me. Is it human nature to be competitive?

I decided to find out how many steps I walk on a “typical” day.  I really had no idea but finding out was easy.  I went to my miscellaneous kitchen drawer and found the pedometer that I received at a local health fair.  At the start of a weekday morning I affixed it to my waistband, reset it to zero and headed out the door.

Checking my pedometer at work several hours later revealed that I had already amassed hundreds of steps.  What reinforcement!  Knowing how many steps I had logged incented me to walk even more.  That started me thinking, if I substituted walking for driving, even short distances, I’d rapidly increase my daily steps and reap the benefits.

Why 10,000 steps?

Logging more steps became self-motivating; a private challenge between me and my pedometer. I recalled a number of media articles touting the value of walking 10,000 steps per day. I knew that should be my goal, but why?   Where did 10,000 steps come from? Was it mathematically based?  Could I walk that far in one day?

It turns out that 10,000 steps is the proper balance of caloric intake and physical activity to maintain a healthy body based on research released in 1965 by Y. Hatano from Japan. Twenty years later his research was accepted and Y. Hatano joined with family members to begin marketing the manpo-kei (meaning “10,000 steps meter”), the world’s first device invented to measure the steps of walking.  So even in its history, the pedometer has a connection to 10,000 steps. Ah!  What a Yoda-like insight and great bit of trivia to share with fellow walkers.

At a recent event on the health and economic benefits of walking, I met Mike Schatzki, a walking enthusiast known as The Recovering Couch Potato. Mike had been classified as “out of shape” after a mid-life fitness assessment; it was his personal wake-up call.  Mike decided to get himself fit and has been helping others do the same by providing free, motivational walking programs. 

As a walking advocate Mike regularly logs 10,000 steps per day. He explained that most people walk about 4,000 steps in the normal course of the day which burns about 200 calories.  Getting fit requires burning 300 more calories per day or 6,000 additional steps.  More credence for walking the magic number of 10,000 steps!
 

Why 150 minutes?

Another math metric is walking 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity aerobic activity. Why 150 minutes?  In August 2012 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study to assess whether Americans can achieve the recommended moderate aerobic activity guideline by walking.  The study confirmed that we can by walking 150 minutes per week.  Another math metric for walking!

Measuring how long you walk is even easier that counting steps.  No equipment is required.  Just glance at a clock or your watch at the start and conclusion of your walk. 

Getting to the Magic Number

The good news is that our steps add up and there are many ways to reach the weekly goal of 150 minutes per week.  All steps walked during routine activities around the house or office, during exercise and walking instead of driving count toward your weekly total of 150 minutes per week. 

If you routinely walking 30 minutes a day, five days per week, you can take multiple walks that total 30 minutes and still achieve the desired daily goal.  For example, take three ten minute walks during the day around your neighborhood, takes the stairs instead of the elevator in your office, add up steps while shopping or by taking a break at work during lunch or mid-afternoon.  You can even amass bonus steps by taking a longer walk during the weekend. 


If you need a little extra motivation to put on your walking shoes and head out the door, you may be inspired as I am by a recent, catchy tune called The Walker by Fitz and The Tantrums. Recently I logged 502 steps by power-walking to its upbeat rhythm. Check it out and let me know if you log more steps while walking to it. You’ll probably feel invigorated afterward just as I did. The tempo is perfect for an aerobic walk that gets you closer to the magic number.