CCES Faculty and Students Are "Stepping" With Pedometers
by Eric Guth, Lower School Physical Education Teacher

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How many steps did you take today?

It's a question faculty have been asking each other -- with a bit of a competitive edge-- ever since they started wearing pedometers in the Lower School.

Pedometers get people moving. Simply wearing a pedometer often makes people move more, which decreases their chances of being overweight. High activity levels also help decrease blood pressure, prevent diabetes, and develop muscles. Most Americans only take 4,000 to 6,000 steps a day, a low activity level. Someone who takes 10,000 steps a day is considered active.

The Lower School faculty members know how many steps they take a day. Lower School physical education teacher Eric Guth implemented a pedometer program that encourages teachers to record their steps each month in a log. By knowing daily activity levels, they can make lifestyle adjustments to increase steps, for example, by taking steps at the mall instead of riding the escalator.

The third and fourth grade students are participating in an exciting pedometer assessment program this year as well. The students are wearing pedometers during physical education (PE) lessons to track the number of steps they take.

These devices provide valuable information about the activity level of our students in PE. Pedometers help us identify which students have the highest activity levels and which students need more motivation feedback. Computing average steps for each lesson can help us assess the activity level that individual lessons provide. A lesson that does not allow enough activity can then be modified.

With these pedometers, our students and faculty are stepping forward to better health! I encourage you to get a pedometer and find out how active your daily routing is. By wearing the pedometer and moving more, you will be modeling a valuable, healthy behavior to younger generations-being active.