10,000 steps a day help middle-aged women keep normal body weight and have small

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10,000 steps a day help middle-aged women keep normal body weight and

have smaller waists

14 May 2005 Medical News Today

Middle-aged women who took at least 10,000 steps per day on average

were much more likely to fall into recommended ranges for measures of

body composition such as total body weight and body fat percentage,

according to the results of a study published in the May 2004 issue

of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official journal of

the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Conversely, inactive

women - those taking fewer than 6,000 steps per day - were more

likely to be overweight or obese and have higher waist ircumferences,

a strong predictor of increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

" Our research clearly shows that middle-aged women who accumulate

more daily steps have a more favorable body composition profile, "

said Dixie L. , Ph.D., FACSM, the study's lead author. " This

is the first study to specifically examine the relationship between

average accumulated steps per day and body composition variables in

women who are in their middle years. "

Eighty women between the ages of 40 and 66 participated in the study.

They were first weighed and measured, then instructed to wear

pedometers for one week and log the number of steps taken each day.

They were asked to follow their typical work and leisure routines

during the one-week period. Researchers classified the participants

into groups of inactive (6,000 or fewer average daily steps),

somewhat active (6,000 - 9,999) and active (10,000 or more), then

analyzed body mass index (BMI), body fat, and waist and hip

circumference. The study showed a significant inverse correlation

between average steps and each of these measurements. On average,

those in the active category had only 26 percent body fat and were

within the recommended BMI range while those in the inactive group

had a body fat percentage of 44 percent and fell well into the

overweight category for BMI.

Researchers point out the public health implications of the evidence,

particularly the apparent benefit of accumulating steps throughout

the day. Although dietary intake is of equal importance, the

investigators suggest that this evidence may eventually lead to the

establishment of a standard volume of daily walking for middle-aged

women that may help to prevent unhealthy weight gain. Current

physical activity guidelines from the ACSM and the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention call for adults to accumulate 30

minutes of moderate intensity activity on all or most days of the

week. Walking is frequently recommended as a key strategy to help

achieve that goal.

" Considering that middle-aged and older women are much more likely to

choose walking as their leisure-time activity, the results of this

study tell us that increases in walking and steps per day may be an

effective strategy to help achieve proper weight and good health, "

said .