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Manpo-Kei: The Art and Science of Step Counting

by Catrine Tudor-Locke

92 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-1196; ISBN 1-55395-481-5; US$14.25, C$19.99, EUR13.00, £9.10

Written in a refreshingly humorous and compassionate by the creator of the First Step Program, the only scientifically proven pedometer-based physical activity intervention, Manpo-Kei: The Art and Science of Step Counting presents the appealing rationale and the simplistic methods for taking back our naturally active lifestyles using a simple and inexpensive pedometer

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About the Book

The world does not need another "how to exercise" book. And this is exactly what this book is not about. Written in a refreshingly humorous and compassionate by the creator of the First Step Program™, the only scientifically proven pedometer-based physical activity intervention, Manpo-Kei™: The Art and Science of Step Counting presents the appealing rationale and the simplistic methods for taking back our naturally active lifestyles using a simple and inexpensive pedometer. The title of the revolutionary little book is a reflection of the Japanese 30-year experience with personal pedometers and lifestyle activity. Nicknamed "manpo-kei" which literally means "10,000 steps meter" in Japanese, the devices were imported to America in the mid-1990's by scientists who used them to determine daily activity levels in research studies. The power that these little instruments have to motivate individuals to increase their activity is just now being acknowledged by these same scientists... it is now time to let the public in on the secret. The author of this book holds nothing back while providing a workbook style content that gently guides the reader through the Manpo-kei™ program of self-monitoring, goal-setting, and personal feedback processes. The author also gives away handy tools including a pedometer shopping list (what to look for), activity logs, and personal feedback worksheets.

About the Author

Dr. Tudor-Locke is an Assistant Professor of Health Promotion at the Department of Exercise and Wellness, Arizona State University and an Adjunct Professor at the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging, School of Kinesiology, University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Tudor-Locke has been uniquely trained as both a basic scientist (exercise physiology) and as a practice-based health program educator and evaluator. Dr. Tudor-Locke is gaining a reputation as a researcher interested in understanding and addressing the problems associated with sedentary lifestyles. Her name has been linked to pedometry in numerous publications and through national and international conference presentations. Dr. Tudor-Locke has considerable experience collecting and analyzing pedometer-assessed physical activity data in field settings. Her work shows that she excels at effectively linking and intergrating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies and is rooted in practice-based, action research. Dr. Tudor-Locke is the creator of the First Step Program™, a novel daily physical activity intervention for overweight and sedentary individuals, capitalizing on a simple and inexpensive pedometer as a self-monitoring and goal setting tool.
Prior to returning to academic training, Dr. Tudor-Locke worked for four years as a Program Director at the YMCA in Alberta, Canada, and another four years as the Community Exercise Physiologist at the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging. In both these practice-based occupations, Dr. Tudor-Locke directed physical activity program development, implementation, and delivery for a wide range of populations. Dr. Tudor-Locke has presented widely to both academic and lay audiences and has written educational and training documents suitable for both reader audiences. She has added to her training with a certificate in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Dr. Tudor-Locke monitors her physical activity daily with a pedometer. She walks or bikes to work regularly, tries to keep true to a weight training regimen, walks to local coffee and lunch spots for a break from her sedentary academic occupation, and runs and walks regularly in her neighborhood with friends. In the evening she lays on the couch with her husband and watches TV. She averages 14,000 steps/day.

Sample Excerpts and Table of Contents

CONTENT

1. Coffee Shop Talk
2. The Obesity Epidemic and Why it is Happening
3. The Evolution of Physical Inactivity
4. The Promise of Pedometers
     What Pedometers Do and Do Not Measure
     Other Motion Sensors
5. The Japanese Experience
6. How Many Steps Do People Take
7. Manpo-kei Make-over
8. Practicing Manpo-kei
     Choosing the Pedometer for You
     Getting a Baseline
     Decision-balance Process
     Goal-setting
     Strategies
     Tracking
     Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life!
     Reflection and Refinement
     What to Watch Out For
     What to Expect
9. The Next Step
10. Cocktail Party Talk
11. Manpo-kei Practitioner's Glossary
12. References
13. Appendices
     Appendix A: Manpo-kei Shopping Checklist
     Appendix B: Manpo-kei Baseline Activity Calendar
     Appendix C: Manpo-kei Baseline Activity Worksheet
     Appendix D: Manpo-kei Tracking Calendar

COFFEE SHOP TALK

     As overheard at a coffee shop not so very long ago -

     Susan:(to the service staff): Make that milk instead of cream, please. (to her companion ): I'm trying to cut down a bit. I'm sick about my weight.

     Judith: You're not the only one. I need to do something too. Have you heard about Manpo-kei?

     Susan: Manpo - who?

     Judith: Manpo-kei. It's a Japanese word. It's about using a pedometer to keep track of your daily activity.

     Susan: A pedometer - you mean one of those gadgets you wear at your waist that measures how far you walk? I thought they weren't supposed to be very accurate.

     Judith: Yes, a pedometer - but it doesn't really measure how far you walk - it counts how many steps you take in a day - and the modern ones are actually very accurate. Manpo-kei is a pedometer-based program that is all about setting goals for steps/day and steadily working towards them. It sounds like a lot of fun.

     Susan: It sounds like exercise.

     Judith: No, it's not about exercise - well, it's not necessarily about exercise. You set your goals and figure out your own strategies for getting there. You know, walking more at work, errands, chores around the house - stuff like that. The pedometer just helps you keep track of it all. It's all about choice. Everyone chooses different goals and different strategies, whatever works best for them.

     Susan: Still sounds a bit silly. What's the point?

     Judith: The point is, we're all couch potatoes, more than ever. We drive everywhere, take escalators - that stuff is nothing new. But all that inactivity every day, day after day, adds up. And we're getting fatter! Practicing Manpo-kei just allows you to get feedback on your daily activity choices.

     Susan: Hmm. I have noticed that I've slowly gained weight over the years. I know I'm busy - but I wonder how many steps I take in a day. Tell me more.

     Judith: That's about all I know right now. But there is a book out now that explains how it works. I plan to read it - you should too.

FOREWARD BY DR. YOSHIRO HATANO

Dr. Hatano has studied the health benefits of measured walking programs for 25 years, and has been instrumental in the development of today's accurate, inexpensive pedometers.

     The 1964 Tokyo Olympics focused attention on fitness and heightened awareness that regular exercise could help pevent hypertension, stroke, diabetes and obesity. Around this same time, modern pedometers arrived on the scene. The convergence of these two events sparked a passion for exercise, walking and pedometer use that has remained a part of Japanese life ever since.
     Manpo-kei means 10,000 steps meter and became a popular slogan for Japanese walking clubs. The idea was so successful that today Manpo-kei is practiced throughout Japan and over 7,000,000 pedometers are sold yearly. You'll find at least two of these instruments in most Japanese households.
     Now Manpo-kei has come to North America and a number of leading exercise researchers, and health and fitness practitioners are presently engaged in active pedometer-based research and promotional activities. It is my great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke on this very accessible, easy-to-use introduction to Manpo-kei. Her abundant gifts as a researcher and talent as a teacher will motivate interested readers to increased physical activity, help them lose weight and enhance their lives for years to come - one step at a time.

     Dr. Yoshiro Hatano, Professor
Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, Japan

Manpo-kei MAKE-OVER

     A Manpo-kei Make-over describes simple lifestyle changes that result in dramatic increases in steps/day.
     Think back to the scenario I presented in the chapter called The Evolution of Physical Inactivity. You remember our heroine, Susan, whose only physical activity during the day was a 20-minute walk on the treadmill? She was an office worker. If she had worn a pedometer that day, she would have registered between 4,000-5,000 steps. Her daily routine offered little opportunity to accumulate incidental steps outside the intentional steps she took during her scheduled exercise sessions. If that outine continued, day after day, she would have trouble keeping her weight down, even though she intentionally exercised at a fitness club! So how could Susan improve the situation? Let me create a Manpo-kei version of the same scenario.
     Susan begins the morning by hitting the snooze button to extend her repose but eventually gives in and gets up. She showers, dresses and clips on her pedometer. The whole family is wearing them now. Her husband takes the dog for a walk around the block. It's Susan's morning to meet the neighborhood kids on the corner and walk them six blocks to school (the parents on her block take turns)(26). Susan looks forward to this opportunity to banter with her kids' friends and catch up with their hectic lives. A block from the school, her husband picks her up (avoiding the anxious-parent traffic-jam) and drives her to the train. On her way into the city, Susan catches up on her reading, and then enjoys the short walk to her office building, stopping by the bank machine and then the local coffee vendor for one "to go." At work she chooses to take the stairs to the second floor before settling into her cubicle. Mid-morning, while considering a pressing project, she walks downstairs to the outside courtyard for a brief stroll. Back inside she resumes work with renewed fervor. At lunch, Susan and an officemate walk to one of their favorite lunch spots. In the afternoon she has to spend quite a bit of time speaking with clients on the phone. She is thankful hers is a cordless so she can pace to wear off some frustration that builds up from time-to-time. After work Susan walks to the train and heads home. Her husband picks her up at the station. The kids have stayed later at school for a soccer game and are walking home with some older neighborhood kids. Susan and her husband swing by the video store to select the evening's entertainment. She is no longer annoyed about how far she has to park from the door since it means a few extra steps on her pedometer and a little closer to her Step Goal! At home Susan slips into her running gear and goes for a 20-minute brisk walk/jog with her neighbor from down the street. Susan has been doing this for awhile and both she and her husband are thinking about running a 5K race later in the year. He does his running on his lunch break because there are shower facilities at his workplace. Susan arrives home to find the kids playing in the backyard while her husband finishes the lawn with his pushmower. Inside, she wonders how anyone could have lived without microwaves, dishwashers, and washers and dryers. Dinner is served in front of the TV - - everyone crowds around the couch for the video (some things never change). After the flick the whole family takes the dog for a walk around the block. Before Susan goes to bed she checks her pedometer and writes the results in her Tracking Calendar: 15,675 steps - well above her Step Goal. Her husband has 17,367 - he ran a couple of extra errands. Their kids each have 16,452 and 21,456 steps. The one with the highest steps today played basketball in physical education class and went on a field trip to a museum. The routine plays out much the same way, week after week. A month later Susan notices her pants are fitting a little looser, her husband looks more handsome, and her kids aren't quite as roly-poly. Something good is happening. Manpo-kei.
     By making some simple lifestyle-changes Susan was able to triple her steps/day from 5,000 to 15,000! I use this Manpo-kei Make-over story as an example of how anyone can increase their steps/day by changing some simple daily outines. Everyone's daily life differs somewhat and therefore not everyone will have the same goals or use the same strategies to reach these goals. That's why I recommend a more individualized approach to counting and increasing your steps/day.

Catalogue Information