Do-it-yourself guide: Take 10,000 steps a day

The 20 Percent Boost Approach allows people to stay fit without exercise.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Time is the enemy. You know you're never going to make it to the gym at lunch. And that early-morning run doesn't seem to be in your future.
Stop torturing yourself. Try turning "exercise" into "activity."
That's the latest thinking from health experts, who'd still like you to get moving, but now recommend doing so in the most manageable way possible.
The goal of 10,000 steps, born 40 years ago in Japan, is to make it easy for you to "work out" with minimal thought and planning. All you need is a low-tech step pedometer -- the simpler, the better -- available for as little as $11 at many sporting goods stores or direct from manufacturers. A pedometer measures steps, no matter how long or short the stride.
The idea is to clip on the pedometer and start with that first step of your normal day. Within three weeks, you may be able to work up to 10,000 steps a day, roughly equivalent to the goal of 30 minutes of daily physical activity recommended by the U.S. surgeon general.
Since Americans already average 3,000 to 5,000 steps during a routine day, it's a relatively painless boost to that extra 5,000.
Pedometer use has been found so effective that businesses, insurance companies and even whole towns have distributed them as a preventative measure for employees, health-care workers and residents.
20 Percent Boost
If you're reasonably fit and ready to take on 10K a day, get going. But not everyone should shoot for the limit right away. Not when there's a more comfortable, gradual method, called the 20 Percent Boost Approach.
Here's a literal step-by-step primer, taken from a guide written by Mark Fenton, host of PBS' "America's Walking," and physical activity program manager at the University of North Carolina's Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center:
WEEK 1
The goal: Measure steps in a typical week without any attempt to walk more than normal. Each morning, reset the pedometer to "0." Set it to show steps. Ignore distance and calorie counts. Wear it all day, from the moment you wake up until going to bed. At night, remove it, record the number of steps taken in a log, and note any formal exercise; for example, "20-minute treadmill walk." Also note if anything caused more (museum tour) or fewer (all-day meeting) steps than usual throughout the day.
WEEK 2
The goal: Boost the average daily steps by 20 percent. Add the total steps taken in Week One and divide by seven. Then multiply by 1.2. The result is the new target number for daily steps. So, if the average was 3,000 steps a day in the first week, try for 3,600 a day in Week Two. Most physical activity counts, including formal workouts (a brisk walk, using most exercise machines) and informal exercise (taking the stairs instead of the elevator or even pacing on the subway platform).
WEEK 3
If you haven't reached 10,000 steps, or if the goal is substantial weight loss -- for which many experts recommend 12,000 to 15,000 steps a day -- then boost steps again by 20 percent. Calculate the second week's daily average and multiply by 1.2. If aerobic fitness is a goal, try boosting the speed of at least 2,000 to 4,000 of the steps already being done.
Want to get in more steps during the course of the day? Here are some tips:
UConditions permitting, park in the farthest space from your destination.
UTake a walking break instead of a coffee break at work.
UTake the stairs instead of the elevator.
UWalk the dog instead of just letting it out in the yard.
UGet off the train or subway a stop early.
UDon't use the car for short trips; walk instead.
UHide the remote and get up to change the channel.
UWalk your child to school.
For more information on:
UThe 20 Percent Boost Approach: http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking/health/health20percentboost.html
U10,000 Steps: http://www.shapeup.org/ 10000steps.html
UA Presidential Active Lifestyle Award patch for those who complete six weeks of the Steps program: www.presidentschallenge.org
UThe University of North Carolina's Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: www.pedbikeinfo.org
For more on pedometers:
UNew Lifestyles (888) 748-5377; www.digiwalker.com
UOptimal Health Products: (888)339-2067; www.optimalhealthproducts.com
UAccusplit (800)935-1996; www.accusplit.com