Manpo-Kei

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.