A few extra steps a day, may keep extra pounds away
By Kat Carney
CNN Headline News
(CNN) -- Remember the phrase, "Walk a mile in my shoes?"
Unfortunately, some Americans aren't walking a mile in anyone's shoes, and a mile, you may be interested to know is just over 2,000 steps for the average person.
Coincidentally, 2,000 steps is the goal of America On the Move, a national walking program aimed at slowing down the country's rising obesity problem.
We are a pretty sedentary nation, and surprisingly, many people overestimate how active they are throughout the day.
Many of us think we have a pretty active lifestyle. Isn't walking from the parking lot to the office or running after our kids enough?
You may be surprised to find out that most people don't walk as much as they think they do. In fact, they only average between 3,000 and 6,000 steps a day, which is far short of a fitness goal of 10,000 steps.
But the America On the Move program says by adding just 2,000 additional steps to our daily routines or, by eating 100 fewer calories daily, most of us will stop gaining weight.
Even trimmed down Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is getting in on the act, using a pedometer to keep track of his steps, "It's not rocket science. It's less calorie intake and more exercise and you're going to improve your health."
Bit of trivia here: The Japanese have known for years that 10,000 steps was a key to fitness. In fact, in Japan, where 10,000 steps is called manpo-kei, the average household actually owns 3 pedometers.
Now remember the goal of the America On the Move program is to walk 2,000 more steps than you usually do -- not 2,000 steps total for the day!
