Stepping Up Your Activity

An active person usually walks about 10,000 steps a day. That may sound like a lot, but it's really not.

Before you can reach your steps-per-day goal, you need to know your starting count. Wear a pedometer for a few days. See what your average step count is each day. The chart below can help you translate your steps into your activity level.

Steps per Day	Activity Level
Less than 5,000	Inactive
5,000-7,499	Slightly Active
7,500-9,999	Moderately Active
10,000-12,499	Active
12,500 or more	Very Active

Source: Used with permission from America On the Move Foundation using data from Tudor-Locke C, Basset DR. How many steps/days are enough? Preliminary pedometer indices for public health. Sports Med. 2004;34(1):1-8.

When you first start tracking your steps with your pedometer, you'll likely find that you're in the 4,000 to 6,000 range. That's okay. Most people start there. They find that they can get up to 7,500 to 10,000 steps in a few weeks time.

Activity Level Definitions:

Sedentary (inactive) - A lifestyle that includes little physical activity during normal day-to-day functions
Moderately active - A lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking 1.5-to-3 miles per day at 3-to-4 miles per hour, plus normal day-to-day functions
Active - A lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking more than 3 miles per day at 3-to-4 miles per hour, plus normal day-to-day functions

Source: Adapted from Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005 (www.health.gov)

NOTE: Talk with your doctor before starting or changing any physical activity.