The 10,000 Steps a Day Challenge
A Kids Fitness and Walking Program for Improved Health
10,000 steps a day to get families active together. Simple walking challenge to encourage parents and kids to keep moving.
Children's weight issues continues to be a hot topic in the media. Governments have taken noticed and have been implementing kids' fitness programs in schools to educate and encourage students to get healthy. Walking is a simple kids' fitness program since there is limited equipment required for the children to be successful. Walking has decreased over the years due to safety issues and the evolving family unit. Bring walking back into the family with a 10,000 steps challenge.
10,000 steps a day is an approximate number to be equivalent to the Surgeon General's recommendation of 30 minutes of exercise for 5-6 days a week. Maintaining health requires approximately 10,000 steps a day, while weight loss requires 12,000- 15,000 steps a day. Maintaining your health and weight is personal for each individual, therefore the 10,000 steps a day challenge is a suggestion to get kids and adults active.
10,000 Steps a Day Challenge
Children learn best by observing behaviour. The 10,000 steps a day is a great challenge for kids and their parents to begin a fitness program that benefits both. For this challenge to entice all youngsters and adults, it is best to add incentives to the challenge at different target points in the program.
Incentives such as first participant to 5,000 on day 5 gets 30 minutes of video games, first participant to increase his daily steps by 25% receives a gift card to a bookstore, or first participant to take the most steps in a week is dismissed from her daily chores. As well, create family incentives; if the family walks 100,000 steps in one week, they will have a movie night. Get the family involved in creating the incentives as they know what they want. The purpose of the 10,000 steps a day challenge is to gradually increase the family's number of steps to make it a natural part of the day rather than an unusual occurrence.
For the challenge to begin, all participants need a pedometer. The pedometer needs to be programed with stride length; calculations vary depending on the style of pedometer. Once the pedometer is programmed, it is placed securely on a belt with a safety string to ensure it does not get lost.
Walking 10,000 Steps a Day
Begin the challenge by having all participants walk their normal routine for a week and to record their steps per day. Zero the pedometer each morning to ensure all participants in the fitness program keep accurate step records. If participants have about the same average number of steps per day, begin to increase the steps per day with intervals between 500-2000 depending on your family health.
However, if the average daily steps are quite different, each child and parent will have to tailor the program to themselves. It would not be a good choice to have a 11 year old build up an extra 3000 steps in one day, it is best to gradually add the steps. Targets and incentives will be based on the individuals with family incentives to work as a team.
Challenge is to increase the steps until all participants are walking a minimum of 10 000 steps a day. Once the family has reached their goal, incentives need to be in place for at least 2 months to make them a habit. Walking is an easy and fun activity that allows parents and kids to spend more time together while staying healthy.
Adding Steps
- Family members rebound while watching a television show.
- Family parks the car at the farthest location in the parking lot.
- Family chooses stairs instead of elevators and escalators.
- Family walks together after dinner.
- Family does not use the remote control.
- Family walks to friends houses in the neighbourhood.
- Family walks to stores in the neighbourhood.
Walking Fitness Fun Activities
- Journal each participants steps and convert to miles or kilometers, most pedometers have this function. Choose a destination that each participant would like to visit and use steps for an imaginary journey. Calculate the miles/kilometers at Mapcrow. Mapcrow calculates distance from major cities across the world. If an area is remote, parents and kids can calculate the distance. Family is to walk this distance. Each day or week, the family's total accumulation of steps will be plotted on the map to illustrate the distance they have covered. As well, the family can read about the interesting places they visit along the way. When the family has reached their destination, have a party with local food and customs from the destination place. An interesting way to visit the world and get in shape.
- Equate steps to climbing a mountain. Family members decide on a mountain to climb, it might be best to start with a smaller mountain and work up to Mount Everest. Family may choose a mountain from each continent to climb and learn about the mountain as they climb it. As well, the family may decide a lunar mountain or a mountain on a different planet.
- Use steps to take a walk around the earth. Gather a community of walkers and calculate your steps to walk around the world. How many times or how fast can the community walk around the world? The earth is approximately 24,000 miles. How many steps is that?
