The purpose of this study was to determine whether taking 10,000 steps in a day is equivalent to meeting the current minimum physical activity guidelines of accumulating at least 30 min of moderate physical activity (IMPA). Fifty-nine women ages 20-65 years wore a pedometer and accelerometer concurrently on their right hip for 1 day. There were no differences in the age, body mass index, or the amount of time the pedometers and accelerometers were worn between the 10K+ and the < 10K groups. The 10K+ group accumulated significantly more steps and minutes of MPA than the < 10K group (M = 13,084 steps, SD = 2,603 vs. M = 7,518 steps, SD = 1,956; and M = 62.1 min, SD = 27.7 vs. M = 38.8 min, SD = 18.9; p < .05). A 2 x 2 chi-square analysis demonstrated no difference between the proportions of 10K and < 10K participants who met the step goal, when all minutes of MPA accumulated throughout the day were considered (chi2 = 1.8, df = 1, p = .175). When only continuous bouts of MPA lasting > 5 min and > 10 min were considered, a significantly greater proportion of 10K participants met the current physical activity guidelines than the < 10K participants (chi2 = 11.5, df = 1, p = .001, and chi2 = 5.9, df = 1, p = .015, respectively). Our finding, suggest that individuals who accumulate 10,000 steps/day are more likely to meet the current physical activity guidelines by engaging in the length of bouts promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine (Pate et al., 1995) and the US Surgeon General (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). However, the data also reveal that accumulating 10,000 steps/day does not guarantee meeting the guidelines in the bout lengths documented to confer the health benefits of physical activity.

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine factors related to physical activity adherence to understand why women continue to participate in long-term exercise after completing a structured exercise program. Data were collected from focus groups, interviews, and e-mails, and analysis used grounded theory. The central category related to physical activity adherence was self-worth. Motivation, activity enjoyment, priorities, body image, ability to access support, and self-regulation skills had an impact on the self-worth of nonadherers and adherers. Women must value themselves enough to continue to participate in physical activity once they start. Exercise and fitness professionals are encouraged to use strategies to increase self-worth and long-term adherence to physical activity. Some recommended strategies include (a) increasing motivation and enjoyment relative to activity, (b) making activity a high priority in a woman's life, (c) improving or deemphasizing body image, (d) increasing a woman's ability to access support, and (e) facilitating the use of self-regulation strategies. This study is the first to examine qualitative perspectives of exercise adherence among women who completed a structured exercise program. Several concepts related to adherence presented in the quantitative literature are confirmed and enhanced in this study.

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Sedentary women (n = 92) classified as low (L), medium (M), and high (H) in baseline step counts and assigned to 10,000-step goal (TSG) and personal step goal (PSG) groups (within levels) were compared on goal attainment and step counts. A significant interaction for goal attainment, F(2, 86) = 4.51, p = .014, indicated that the L group was significantly less likely to meet the TSG than the M and H groups. Step counts increased after goal assignment, but not more for one group than the other. Results of this research support the previous finding that women with low baseline step counts are unlikely to meet a TSG, but a TSG does not result in lower step counts than a PSG.