Saw a thing in a newspaper today that said “Get in shape and shed the pounds with this…….pedometer”. It also said that “10,000 steps a day is recommended by many health experts” – are there any health experts out there who could reinforce this for me?

I would think that any incentive to move about is great to encourage the seriously inactive, but is not the quality of the steps at least as important as the number?

The reason I ask this is the few people I know that wear pedometers seem to me to believe that the mere act of wearing one is making them fitter. I haven’t noticed any change in their lifestyle and they don’t look any better to me.

One person in particular occasionally provides an account of the number of steps achieved. But on observation these steps appear extremely slow and are often propelling the said individual from one social event to the next. Nothing wrong with that (I like a good dose of daily socialising myself).

But, if I remember rightly, he always did propel himself from one social event to the next – so has he increased the number of steps he takes, or is it just that now he can count them?

I also remember that his original object was to lose weight (from the stomach area I would suggest). Well that certainly has not happened.

I don’t want to put anyone off, but would not a little concentration on spending a small amount of time on something just a little more strenuous be of significantly more benefit all round than simply counting how many times you put one foot in front of the other? – Answers on a postcard please!

PS. All the pedometer can do is count! – It can’t assess how you are going about it. It’s up to you to design a regime that will increase your fitness levels and/or help you lose weight if that’s what you want.