MPs GET ACTIVE TO SHOW THERE’S NO MAGIC BULLET - TARGET 10,000 STEPS PER DAY

What’s the significance of 10,000 steps?
Research shows that this number of accumulated walking steps can lead to significant health benefits. If done daily it can make you feel better and can reduce the risk of developing serious illnesses such as heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and depression. Put another way, the 10,000 step message is merely encouraging you not to sit down for too long. If you get up and move every 30 minutes, you’ll soon clock up those steps.

So where does the 30 minute message come in?
If organised physical activity is more your thing, then walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, which can be split into two lots of 15 minutes, or three lots of 10 minutes spread out over the day, is just as beneficial for health. This will clock up around 4,500 steps, which is just as beneficial provided you are walking as briskly as accumulating 10,000 steps

"Getting started with a physical activity routine is a major step on the way to a physically active lifestyle. Unfortunately we cannot bottle the benefits from our current exercise habits for use at some point in the future. Physical activity has to be sustained over the longer term to accrue the significant health benefits that are associated with it. Even former athletes who quit exercise altogether at the end of their careers, have similar rates of chronic disease as people who've never exercised. Finding a physical activity routine that you can sustain throughout the lifespan is critical for deriving maximum benefit. Importantly, it's never too late to start. People who take up exercise in their 60's can still achieve significant health benefits."

Melvyn Hillsdon, exercise epidemiologist at University College London

• Under 5,000 steps/day is classed as being ‘sedentary’
• 5,000-7,499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/exercise and is classed as being ‘low active’
• 7,500-9,999 steps/day is likely to include some exercise or walking (and/or a job that requires more walking) and is classed as ‘somewhat active’
• 10,000 steps/day is the point that should be used to classify individuals as ‘active’
• 12,500 steps/day+ is classed as ‘highly active’
  Source: Wendy Bumgardner

Public Health Minister, Melanie Johnson MP
Average steps per day - 7,168

Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, Labour, Dulwich and West Norwood, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Average steps per day - 9,305

"Announcing the Government's backing of the London 2012 Olympic bid in May last year, Ms Jowell said the bid was central to Government efforts to increase physical activity as well as participation in grassroots sport"

"I spent thirty minutes in the gym first thing which included jogging on the treadmill. Then I tried to walk as often as I could during the day" 9,534 steps Monday

"Frantic travelling all day to the North West of England and back. Tried to walk as much as possible though - amazed and delighted I broke the 10,000 mark" 10,071 steps Tuesday

"Full day in the office doing departmental business. I walked to and from the Houses of Parliament (about a mile there and back) which took just under 15 minutes" 7,041 steps Wednesday

"Another busy day in the office, waled to and from the House twice acheiving just under my thrity minutes of brisk walking a day. I'm making a special effort to walk and take the stairs which is making me feel so much better" 9,570 steps Thursday

"No time for the gym today, but made sure I walked fast from meeting to meeting in my constituency" 6,256 steps Friday

"10876 steps on Saturday, largely thanks to a 4 mile walk."

"9736 steps on Sunday as I didn't manage a trip to the gym"

"worked out at the gym first thing for half an hour and tried to do as much as walking as possible." Monday

Dr Mike Stroud is a gastroenterologist in Southampton but is better known as Sir Ranulph Fiennes' expedition partner. He recently accompanied Sir Ranulph in his 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 different continents. Before this he has provided the medical support for a number of expeditions led by Sir Ranulph. Dr Stroud is a patron of Move4Health.
Average steps per day - 10,376

"I am enjoying wearing the monitor. I think they could be a real hit and do a ,lot of good. They certainly bring home how inactive one can be on some days. I spent Monday walking around Glasgow then mostly sat in Lectures" 15,380 steps Monday

"Early part of the morning was lost to air travel back down from conference in Scotland. i then did a ward round before spending the afternoon sedentary working on research papers" 8,760 steps Tuesday

"Another fairly lazy day with a bit of ward work and a lot of clinical and research meetings. 10,000 must be way over many peoples' activity if they are predominately office based!" 7,350 steps Wednesday

"Another disappointing sedentary day with reasonable length ward round followed by sit-down meetings all afternoon and evening. I guess the only way to achieve reasonable averages is being active at the weekends" 6,200 steps Thursday

"For some it may be easier to fit exercise into the weekend. But, for health benefits, it’s important MOST days include the minimum levels of physical activity" Dr Melvyn Hillsdon

"had a 9am start instead of 8am which allowed me enough time to go for a run before work" 10,680 Friday

"Started the day with a run followed by a long car journey, came back through Bath where I did the ‘tourist thing’, which involved a lot of walking" Saturday

"Comprising of some gardening, a run and a fair bit of driving and sitting around" Sunday

"Despite more than 13 hours at work too much of it was sitting in meetings, writing research proposals. I need a more active job!" Monday

Fiona Bennison is a single mother with two teenage children who needs to lose several stones and by her own admission drinks too much...and smokes. Both her parents have type 2 diabetes and her mother has breast cancer so Fiona knows she needs to change her lifestyle. Fiona used to be an aerobics instructor but for the last decade she's had a desk and driving job. Joanna Hall has been giving her a helping hand.
Average steps per day - 9,878

"I managed to do 10,320 steps. I didn't find it difficult which surprised me. I though it would be a lot harder but then i did have a very bust day" Monday

"Only managed to do 9,544 steps today but considering I spent most of the day in a meeting adn ferrying people around in my car I was quite surprised I did that many" Tuesday

"had a very good day today and did an amazing 12,351 steps. Didn't find it difficult to do but I did have rather a late night" Wednesday

"Forgot to put the monitor on first thing as I was rather hungover. Then I spent the rest of the day sitting down at work. Got back at 6.30pm, fed the kids, then several friends came round for the evening. A sorry total of 6,002" Thursday

"Much better today but I did have some help from Joanna as she visited me at home to go through my daily routine and we talked about what I felt I could do to achieve long-term changes" 13,253 steps Friday

"In and out of supermarket stores for my job today. I used to park as close to the store as I could, but now I park as far away as possible to maximise the amount of walking" Saturday

"Went for a long walk so I’m surprised the total was so low. But I did sit around chatting for the rest of the day, which goes to show that being active throughout the day clocks up just as many steps without you realising!" Sunday

"Disaster – was in a meeting all day – just goes to show how you need to get up and move as often as you can rather than just sit for hours on end" Monday

Simon Burns MP, Conservative, Chelmsford West and member of the Health Select Committee
Average steps per day - 12,826

"I was extremely surprised and delighted that I managed to clock up so many steps on my first day. The corridors of power must be much longer than I imagined. My only concern is whether I will now be able to maintain this exercise rate - I will try my best!" 13,021 steps Monday

"I still can't feel any health benefits...but perhaps I will wake up one morning feeling reinvigorated. One lives in hope" 14,138 steps Wednesday

"The 'quick fix' benefits of a brisk walk are that you feel better having had a break from the monotony of whatever task you were undertaking at the time. You need to ensure you build physical activity into your long-term so it becomes an enjoyable part of you daily routine such tat you reap the health benefits in later life"
Dr Melvyn Hillsdon

"Unlike in London I don’t walk to work in my constituency. So, instead of walking into town for an appointment, my son and I walked the three quarters of a mile there and back, which made me feel great. I’m certainly going to keep my pedometer on once this challenge has finished"

"16,341 steps - a personal record!"

David Hinchliffe MP, Labour, Wakefield, Chair Health Select Committee
Average steps per day - 10,887

"I was in Yorkshire yesterday so the dog contributed. Today will be the real test" 10,114 steps Monday

"Am I overdoing it?" 11,430 steps Tuesday

"Overall the risks of physical activity do not outweigh the benefits that can be achieved, but it is a matter of listening to your own body. So if you feel you are overdoing it then cut down and work up more slowly. Obviously if you feel you have individual health concerns you should talk to your doctor. The bottom line is to include physical activity at a level and in a way you feel you can maintain, brearing in mind the minimum recommendeed level long-term should be 10,000 accumulated steps every day, or 30 minutes of brisk walking (which can be split into 2 x 15 minutes or 3 x 10 minutes"
Dr Melvyn Hillsdon

"back in the constituency with the opportunity to walk the dog – I’m aware that my physical activity levels always rise over the weekend."

"This project has certainly instilled an element of competition amongst us MPs - it’s really highlighted how much more fun physical activity can be if a group of you get together and compare notes. Simon Burns pops in and out of meetings like a yoyo to push up his activity levels. And Howard Stoate should be excluded – he’s far too fit for the rest of us!' Monday

Rt Hon Keith Bradley MP, Labour, Manchester Withington
Average steps per day - 11,480

"Monitoring my steps certainly makes me conscious of what I am doing, which makes me think about not using the car when I can" 9,711 steps Monday

"There was a lot of voting last night so I had to walk fro the bar (where I was sipping wine) to the chamber and back eight times. There are a lot of stairs between the two and I've stopped using the House of Commons lift. As my office is the furthest from the chamber it means I clock up a lot of steps and stairs between the two." 11,944 steps Tuesday

"My daily total is steadily improving. I'm making a real effort to think about how to include physical activity. yesterday I had a meeting about a mile away from the House of Commons, normally I'd drive but I walked. I did have to leave earlier but it was worth planning a bit ahead to clock up the extra steps" 15,425 steps Wednesday

"I spent three and a half hours on the train traveling back to my constituency on Thursday which takes up a big chunk of the day. I did try to walk up and down the train and ended up walking to the pub and back to try to catch up" 9,694 steps Thursday

"For most of us the weekend means a change of routine. It possibly allows us more time to re-discover an activity we've enjoyed in the past such as a sport or just going for a walk or cycle; or merely leaving the car and using our legs to get to and from the shops or pub. For those of us with children active play such as ball games in the garden or a family walk or cycle can be a sociable and healthy activity option"
Dr Melvyn Hillsdon

"An afternoon of meetings meant I had to fit most of my activity into the evening. My daughter and son had football training. So instead of sitting watching, I went for a walk round my constituency" Friday

"I made a big effort to walk everywhere yesterday so it just shows how easy it is to notch up the steps when you cut out all means of other travel wherever possible. And it was possible to fit the activity around my diary schedule. At the start of the week I struggled to get up the 107 steps between the chamber and my office. But now I’m starting to bound up… and feel better for it. There’s no question that I’ll continue what has now become my personal challenge to get fit"

Dr Richard Taylor MP
Average steps per day - 10,276

"I've been wearing a pedometer for a couple of months so I know I do an average of 10,000 daily while in London - walking to work, from my office to the chamber and back (1/4mile each way). Once I get back to my constituency it's harder because there's less opportunity to walk between meetings. At the weekend it depends on whether the weather is fine - if it is my wife and I always go for a decent walk, A pedometer certainly is a great stimulus to get moving." 10,628 steps Wednesday

John Austin MP, Labour, Erith & Thamesmead, member of the Health Select Committee
Average steps per day - 9,830

"The increase is almost entirely due to the number of voting divisions on the Budget - more votes more steps - good advert for democracy!" 11,799 steps Tuesday

"A pitiful 7330! A very sedentary day with wall to wall meetings from 9am-10pm, roll on the weekend" 7,330 steps Thursday

"I'm sorry it's all over as I am up to 15,000 and it is only 4pm with hours to go and likely to be the highest yet! Devastated that today's won't count!'" - Wednesday 31 March

Vernon Coaker MP, Labour, Gedling, Deputy Chair All Parliamentary Group on Obesity
Average steps per day - 12,163

"I did 8423 on Monday. I have to say I would expect to do more than this but yesterday seemed a bit meeting focused. The pedometer acts as a personal challenge to you. I intend to beat the total today and I will make sure that I do"

"It is good to see my totals for the last two days being a little better than Monday which was not so good. I do think it is the pedometer which acts as a little voice encouraging you on." 13,874 steps Wednesday

"I am not pleased with this and will aim for a record number tomorrow, so just under 15,000 to beat" 10,908 steps Thursday

"This was a disaster as I set out to do better but unfortunately I was in the Chamber most of the day and I FAILED" Friday

"Sunday was going badly but was rescued by a lovely walk in the countryside in the late afternoon"

"I FEEL VERY PLEASED WITH MYSELF. Now I have to do it again tomorrow." Monday

"A record 16,104!!"

Tim Yeo MP
Average steps per day - 11,984

"It's amazing what a difference it makes to get out of the office. I was opening a hospital and visiting a school, and made sure I walked around Dover instead of driving when I could" 12,076 steps Thursday

"Got up early and went for a long walk along the seafront in Hastings, which put several thousand points on the pedometer!" Friday

"A lot of constituency business so I paced about my office with my Dictaphone - quite a useful strategy!" Saturday

"Short walk after lunch despite the drizzle, which would normally have deterred me." Sunday

"Living with my pedometer is the closest thing to crazy that I’ve ever known"

Dr Howard Stoate MP, Labour Dartford, Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity
Average steps per day - 18,483

"How do I feel? Knackered, but I am training for the London marathon which partly accounts for the ridiculous distances covered" 23,944 steps Tuesday

"I run round the parks - St James', Green, Hyde and Kensington. They all link up with very few roads to cross. Distance around 8 miles. I do this 2-3 times/week, as well as running in the constituency at weekends" 24,610 steps Thursday

Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat, Sutton & Cheam, Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Average steps per day - 9,418

"I normally walk the children to school pushing a buggy, which is carrying one of my children, then go on to the station. But today I took an hour and a half off work and walked home again. I then walked to the station later on." 6,800 steps Monday

"I walked from my home to the station in Cheam. I walked from Victoria Station to my office in Portcullis House. I used the stairs rather than the lift" 11,900 steps Tuesday

"I walked to the station, walked from Victoria, walked from Westminster to the London Studios, used the stairs" 15,086 steps Wednesday

"Constituency Friday was very sedentary, lots of meetings, not much walking"

"Saturday after surgery in the morning went out with the family for a walk. We walked 2.5 miles of which my youngest, Ellie aged 20 months, walked almost all the way herself"

"Monday was back the routine I have been following now since the first R5 experiment"

"I think that the pedometer has proved a useful spur to increasing my activity."

Jon Owen Jones MP, Labour, Cardiff Central, member of the Health Select Commitee
Average steps per day - 8.071

Tuesday's total was from 12pm - only received the pedometer at this time

"A poor start compared to my colleagues but I am going to Welsh Labour conference today and the seafront in Llandudno will no doubt aid me"

"The drive up to Llandudno took six hours, taking it out of my total." 6,500 steps Thursday

David Amess MP, Conservative Southend West and member of Health Select Committee
Average steps per day - 14,210