A study published in a recent issue of International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity examined two different exercise goals – structured and lifestyle – and attempted to determine which might be more effective when combined with the use of a pedometer. The study focused specifically on encouraging individuals with type-2 diabetes to incorporate more physical activity into their daily lives, but the results can potentially be applied to those individuals who may not have diabetes but may need motivation to increase activity throughout their day.

The researchers recruited 35 individuals with type-2 diabetes, 30 of whom completed the six-week study. The participants had to be at least 18 years of age, currently live a sedentary lifestyle, have the disease and have access to the internet in order to properly use the USB-enhanced pedometers, set up so the participants could upload their information directly to a specially designed website. The aim of the lifestyle goal group was to increase the overall amount of activity throughout the day, while the aim of the structured group was to increase the intensity of the chosen activity. Walking was selected for the study because of earlier research showing that those with type-2 diabetes tend to prefer walking as their primary mode of exercise.

Exercise has been shown to “improve glucose control, lower blood pressure, improve blood lipid profiles (and) decrease the risk of adverse cardiovascular events.” However, the majority of individuals with type-2 diabetes do not exercise, regardless of the potential benefits. Pedometers are often considered to be a motivational tool in encouraging sedentary individuals to begin moving, although such physical activity is not considered to be of the moderate intensity necessary to provide the greatest cardiovascular benefit. Rather, the pedometers provide the motivation to move and attempt to accumulate a goal amount of steps per day.

The researchers hypothesized that the participants in the lifestyle group would increase their steps as well as their enthusiasm for activity and their adherence to exercise, while those in the structured group would actually decrease in enthusiasm and adherence, mostly because the structured activities often require an increased level of training, longer duration and increased intensity, whereas lifestyle activities often simply mean an increase in movement rather than intensity and duration. However, the researchers found that while both groups increased the amount of steps taken throughout the day, the lifestyle group actually increased the amount of steps taken in their particular bouts of exercise, with both groups adding the equivalent of an additional mile to their day by the end of the program.

The researchers conceded that more studies would need to be performed to replicate the results, as this study’s sample size was relatively small and the protocol duration relatively short. However, evidence seems to indicate the pedometer might be an effective tool in encouraging individuals to increase their daily activity regardless of whether it is utilized to increase activity through lifestyle changes or to increase the intensity of a structured exercise program. (International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2007)