The study tracked the exercise minutes of over 1,000 participants age 45 to 75—most of whom at the start of the study were overweight or obese. Their typical exercise beforehand was around 90 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Then, half of the participants were given pedometers to track their exercise for 12 weeks. The others went about their activity as usual. After four years, researchers followed up with all of the participants to see how much they were exercising and how likely they were to develop a range of health conditions, like heart attack or stroke or bone fracture.
The researchers discovered that not only had the pedometer users kept up their exercise habits longterm, but they actuallytheir weekly exercise by 30 minutes. On the other hand, researchers found that those who did not use a pedometer during those initial 12 weeks“Although the intervention using the pedometer was only for 12 weeks, by three to four years, they were still walking more, so they had changed their longterm habits,” Tess Harris, M.D., professor of primary care research as St.
The researchers believe the health benefits are tied to the increase in activity. Makes sense, because previous