Your Health

Step Up Your Routine

Posted: 1/7/2012

Celebrity Personal Trainer Bob Greene says walking is great exercise.

(NAPSI)—Getting into a fitness routine can be as easy as 1, 2, 3--or counting your steps, according to Bob Greene, Oprah’s personal trainer and author of the new “20 Years Younger: Look Younger, Feel Younger, Be Younger!” Even better news: Since the walking you already do is a first step to increasing your mileage and making every step count toward your fitness goal, it’s an easy way to keep up a lifetime of healthy habits, starting with preventing unwanted weight gain.

Greene uses a pedometer as his ultimate walking partner. “I recommend walking as an easy cardio activity to step up your fitness routine. And I always bring my Omron pedometer with me. By counting my steps, it keeps me motivated and reminds me to keep going,” he explained.

Counting Steps to Fitness

It’s recommended that you take 10,000 steps a day—equivalent to about five miles—which can be achieved by walking for 30 to 60 minutes straight or even in 10-minute increments over the course of the day. Using a pedometer can help you figure out how many steps you are already taking, whether it’s a few hundred walking to the bus or a couple thousand going out for lunch. In fact, research shows that using a pedometer can increase your total number of steps a day by 2,000, or about one mile.

According to Greene, walking your way to fitness can be made even more effective by following a healthy diet and getting enough sleep. Here are further tips to help you get fit:

Tip No. 1: Step It Up. Not only is exercise the ultimate anti-aging weapon, but brisk walking is a great way to get your heart rate up-and it’s exercise for just about everyone, from casual walkers to fitness enthusiasts. But don’t go at it alone. An accurate pedometer improves awareness of your activity level, letting you set simple short- and long-term goals and know when you’ve surpassed them.

Tip No. 2: Supercharge Your Diet. It can be supereasy to eat your way to lifelong health with superfoods and superfruits. Fuel up in the morning (before you head out on that long walk) by supercharging your oatmeal with a mix of rich-colored berries, such as blueberries and raspberries.

Tip No. 3. Sleep Counts. Getting a good night’s sleep is imperative to a healthy lifestyle. Cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, can be the best natural sleep aid-even better when you exercise earlier in the day. So start your day with an early morning power walk and you’ll be more likely to have a great night’s sleep.

For more tips from Greene and to learn more about how a pedometer can help you, visit www.Facebook.com/OmronFitness.