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The University of Montana

PROGRAM ONE: 10,000 Steps to a Healthier U!

  

First Step- Getting Started:
walking on a path

Consult your physician before starting any new fitness program. Curry Health Center's Medical professionals can help, Call 243-4330 for an appointment

To begin your walking program, you need to determine your baseline, or how many steps you are currently taking each day.

  1. Wear your pedometer every day for three days – from the time that you get up to the time that you go to bed.
  2. Do what you normally do. If you don’t normally go out of your way to walk, don’t start now (that comes next!). Be normal!
  3. Use your personal log to record how many steps you walk each day (total number of steps for the 3 days divided by 3). This is your baseline!

Week One:

  

Take your baseline (which you just calculated) and add 500 steps. This is your daily goal for week one

  • For example: If your baseline was 2,000 steps per day, then your daily goal will be 2,500 steps per day.
  • To avoid injury, do not try to increase your goal by more than 500 steps per day.

Week Two and Beyond:

  

Each week, continue to add 500 steps to your goal…until you work up to 10,000 steps per day!

  • Build up your goal slowly and easily. This isn’t a race.
  • The ultimate goal is to stay active for the rest of your life, so don’t go overboard and risk injury.

Each Week:

  

At the end of each week, evaluate how you are doing and adjust your goal for the next week accordingly.

  • If you achieve your goal for the week on at least 5 days, add 500 steps to your goal.
  • If you did not reach your daily goal on at least 5 days, stay at your current daily goal for the next week. Don’t give up – remember that this is not a race, but a goal to stay active for the rest of your life!

The Programs

Program Guide

  9. Personal Step Logs - weekly - monthly

For more information contact Linda Green or Julee Stearns in the Curry Health Center’s Health Enhancement Dept. (406) -243-2809

 walker

© The University of Montana, 2006. Layout by Christy Costello of Spectral Fusion.