积跬步至千里,国外计步器引发的健身潮

Working out at the gym might not be enough to stay fit if you spend much of the rest of the day sitting down.
如果一天到晚老是坐着，光靠在健身房里做做运动，恐怕是难以保持良好体型的。

Americans are more sedentary than ever, government surveys show. That is a problem even among people who exercise regularly.
利用日常活动充分运动官方调查显示，美国人久坐不动的情况比以往更加普遍。哪怕是经常锻炼的人，也存在着这样的问题。

An increasingly popular way people are trying to coax more exercise into their lives is by tracking their movements using a bevy of small electronic devices from companies like Fitbit Inc., Jawbone and Nike. Some devices are pedometers, tracking steps. More sophisticated gadgets, known as accelerometers, measure the rate at which a person moves and convert this into calories expended.
现在越来越流行的一种做法是，用Fitbit Inc.、Jawbone、耐克(Nike)等公司出产的一些小型电子设备跟踪记录自己的运动量，以此鼓励自己多做运动。这其中，既包括记录步数的计步器，也包括一些更复杂的仪器，如加速计，它可以测量走路的速度，并计算出对应的卡路里消耗量。

'We've been very focused on exercise and making sure you get your half-an-hour a day of moderate and vigorous physical activity. But what we've not focused on so much is how you spend the rest of your day,' says Bonnie Spring, director of the Center for Behavior and Health at Northwestern University.
西北大学(Northwestern University)行为与健康中心(Center for Behavior and Health)主任邦尼•斯普林(Bonnie Spring)说：“一直以来我们都非常关注运动，确保自己每天能有那么半个小时做一些强度适中或较大的运动。但我们没有注意到的是，每天其余的时间我们都在干些什么。”

Americans on average take 5,117 steps a day, according to a 2010 study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. A good daily goal, by contrast, is 10,000 steps, according to the American Heart Association and other experts. Research studies have found that such a regimen results in modest weight loss, improved glucose tolerance in people at risk of developing diabetes and other benefits, says David Bassett Jr., co-author of the 2010 study and a professor in the department of kinesiology, recreation and sport studies at the University of Tennessee.
《运动与锻炼中的医学与科学》(Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise)杂志2010年刊登的一篇研究论文指出，美国人平均每天走5117步。而美国心脏协会(American Heart Association)及一些专家表示，每天的理想走路步数应为10,000步。上述2010年研究论文的作者之一、田纳西大学(University of Tennessee)运动机能学、休闲与体育研究系教授小戴维•巴西特(David Bassett Jr.)称，研究发现，每天的步行数达到理想水平，可以帮助糖尿病患病风险高的人群适当减轻体重、改善葡萄糖耐受性，此外还有其他一些好处。

Walking a mile roughly equals 2,000 steps. Climbing a flight of stairs─roughly 10 steps─is equivalent to taking 38 steps on level ground, Dr. Bassett says.
巴西特博士指出，步行一英里（约1.6公里）需要走大约2000步。爬一层楼梯（大约10级）相当于在平地行走38步。

A study that followed more than 240,000 adults over 8½ years found that watching a large amount of television was associated with a higher risk of death, including from cardiovascular disease─even for participants who reported seven or more hours a week of moderate-to-vigorous exercise. The research, published in 2012 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, used TV viewing and overall sitting time as a proxy for sedentary behavior.
一项在八年半的时间内持续跟踪了24万多名成年人的研究发现，看电视时间长的人因罹患心血管等疾病而死亡的风险更高，哪怕是自称一周进行七个小时或更长时间中高强度锻炼的人也不例外。此项研究采用看电视时间和总计坐着的时间作为评估久坐行为的指标，研究结果于2012年发表在《美国临床营养学杂志》(American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)上。

'Our results suggest that exercise alone may not be enough to eliminate risks associated with too much sitting,' says Charles Matthews, lead author of the study and an investigator with the National Institutes of Health. He says estimates from government surveys indicate that people's sedentary time outside of work has increased by about 40% between 1965 and 2009.
该研究论文的第一作者、美国国立卫生研究院(National Institutes of Health)的研究员查尔斯•马修斯(Charles Matthews)说：“我们的研究结果表明，运动本身不足以消除因久坐而导致的（各种健康）风险。”他称，官方调查所得估计数据显示，从1965年到2009年，人们在工作之外的久坐时间上升了大约40%。

People who live in Colorado, where obesity rates are relatively low, take an average of 6,500 steps a day, a 2005 study found. By contrast, residents of Tennessee and Arkansas, where the obesity rates are much higher, take an average of 4,500 steps a day. 'We don't know that it's cause and effect obviously, but the states with lower obesity rates have the higher number of steps,' says James Hill, executive director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado.
2005年的一项研究发现，在肥胖率相对较低的科罗拉多州，人们平均每天步行6500步。而在肥胖率相对高得多的田纳西州和阿肯色州，人们日均步行4500步。科罗拉多大学(University of Colorado)安秀兹健康中心(Anschutz Health and Wellness Center)执行主任詹姆斯•希尔(James Hill)说：“我们不清楚这其中有什么明显的因果关系，但肥胖率较低州的居民日均步行数确实较高。”