Memorial Hospital 'Smart Steppers' are stepping out for health

More than 200 employees and volunteers at The Memorial Hospital and MWV Healthcare Associates are stepping their way toward wellness as participants in a work-site wellness program called "Smart Steps."Smart Steps is an eight-week program designed by the organization New Hampshire Celebrates Wellness. The goal is to encourage participants to make exercise a priority in their lives by inspiring them to walk 10,000 steps a day. Using a pedometer, a small device worn on the hip that counts every step, Smart Steppers become aware of how many steps are taken on a daily basis. The average American takes 3,000 to 5,000 steps per day; increasing one's number of daily steps to 10,000 is equal to approximately five miles. This is roughly equivalent to the U.S. Surgeon General's recommendation for 30 minutes of activity most days of the week. An active person averages about 2,000 to 4,000 steps per day; a moderately active person about 5,000 to 7,000 steps, and an active person at least 10,000 steps. Hospital staffers and volunteers are recording their steps and getting a chance to see how they can increase their physical activity.According to Rae Smith, RN, local work-site coordinator, "The potential benefits of 10,000 steps a day are numerous. They include increased energy, improved mood, reduced stress levels, improved cholesterol levels, lower risk for disease, and better sleep."Joan Lanoie, volunteer services coordinator, was amazed at how many steps she accumulated making daily rounds throughout the hospital and working with her volunteers. "Added to my daily walk, it was easy to get to 10,000 steps a day," Lanoie said, adding that other staffers were equally surprised with their totals. The Memorial Hospital Smart Steppers logged a total of 7,994,000 steps after the first week of the program, averaging 9,517 a day. Totals will be tracked and submitted for all eight weeks of the program. For more information about bringing "Smart Steps" to the workplace, contact New Hampshire Celebrates Wellness in Concord at 224-0184, visit the Web site at www.nhcw.org, or e-mail the state Smart Steps program coordinator, Laura Hesse Moran, at lmoran@nhcw.org.