Move America, step it up!
By Nanci Hellmich
USA Today
If Americans would watch their steps, their weight might stop climbing the scales. That's the thinking behind several major efforts to inspire Americans to walk more.
The latest one, America on the Move, is a groundbreaking national initiative launching today. The goal is to get millions of people to wear inexpensive step counters and walk another 2,000 steps, about one mile a day, or cut out 100 calories.
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"If people start making small changes, great things will happen," says obesity researcher James Hill, co-founder of the program, which has the support of government and private industry.
Tommy Thompson, secretary of Health and Human Services says, "This is right thing to do, and it's the right time in America to do it."
America on the Move is trying to halt the worsening obesity epidemic. Almost 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, leading to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and most types of cancer. Inactivity is considered a major cause of excess weight, and some experts believe it may be easier to get people to move more than to change their eating habits.
America on the Move (www.americaonthemove.org) includes educational and motivational material and discounted step counters.
Many other states and cities have walking programs, and lots of communities, in Hawai'i and around the country, are adding sidewalks, walking trails and parks to make it easier for people to be physically active.
The federal government has launched Steps to a HealthierUS, which will provide $13.7 million in grants to communities to pay for programs that promote healthier behavior.
For years, the government and obesity experts have been urging Americans to be more active and enjoy the numerous health benefits.
Federal guidelines advise getting at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. But only about a quarter to a third of people meet that recommendation. Last fall, the National Academies'
Institute of Medicine raised the bar, recommending at least an hour of daily physical activity to control weight.
Experts have struggled with ways to help people meet these goals. For several years now, some researchers and public health officials have encouraged people to try to walk 10,000 steps a day, roughly five miles. Electronic step counters or pedometers cost about $20.
But reaching 10,000 steps isn't easy for people with desk jobs. On average, people walk about 5,310 steps in a day, according to a Harris Interactive online poll conducted for America on the Move.
Getting up to 10,000 steps may seem like a big leap to most people, which is why America on the Move participants are encouraged to begin by adding 2,000 steps a day to what they are doing and then increasing activity, says Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.
On average, adults gain one to three pounds a year, he says. Walking an extra 2,000 steps or cutting 100 calories a day "won't help most people lose much, but these changes should keep them from gaining more," Hill says.
Local version adds miles walked across Hawai'i
Hawai'i residents can make moves of their own with Shape Up Across Hawaii, a statewide program that challenges individuals, families and communities to complete a 400-mile virtual journey across the state.
Although the program isn't related to America on the Move, the goals are the same: to promote fitness.
"The whole purpose is to basically get people to increase their level of physical activity," said Jackie McCarter, program coordinator and associate state director of AARP.
Participants are encouraged to walk, surf, swim, bike or do anything active, and log their progress with a miles grid that counts the minutes they spend being active as miles traveled across the state.
The program began July 1 and runs through October. Collaborating partners include the state Department of Health, American Heart Association, Arthritis Foundation and more than 20 other statewide organizations.
To encourage participation, a variety of free activities will be offered. Among them:
• Stroll at Kapi'olani Park, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Saturday, meet at the bandstand.
• Day on the Bay Friendship Walk, 10 a.m. to noon July 26, Camp Kokokahi, Kane'ohe.
• Tennis clinics, sponsored by United State Tennis Association, 9 to10 a.m. Aug. 2, Kailua District Park, Ala Moana Beach Park, 'Ewa Beach Community Park and Kahala Community Park. Register: 955-6696, ext. 25.
To sign up, visit www.shapeuphawaii.org or call 545-6003.
— Zenaida Serrano Espanol, Advertiser staff writer
