Step Up to Support Breast Cancer Survivors!

Count your steps while you shop and play at these great shopping centers!

Take care of your mind, body and spirit when you get up and move — walk, jump, dance, and shop, just to name a few ideas. See how easy it is to get the recommended steps a day while you shop and play at these great shopping centers (your steps may vary).

 

Your Steps Count!

Danielle Christifano, MS, breast cancer researcher in nutrition and exercise at The University of Kansas Medical Center, and Breast Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Centers, helps make you smarter, safer and healthier with this quick Q and A:

Did you know?

The average middle-aged American adult spends over one-half of her waking hours sitting, and breast cancer survivors spend over two-thirds of their waking hours sitting.**

Think about it!

There are very few standing/moving activities that the average person does on a typical day and many more sitting activities, including watching television, working at a computer, attending meetings, driving, eating, socializing—you name it!

Why does this matter?

Emerging research indicates that sedentary behavior (such as, sitting) is independently associated with significant health risks, including obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer *** In other words, the less you sit, the less likely you are to develop chronic diseases.

Why 10,000 steps and how can you get there?

The 10,000 steps per day goal is based on the Surgeon General’s recommendation to achieve 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on all, or most, days of the week.****
However, exercise is not the only way to get your steps in! Making small changes in your daily routine to add more steps is just as important as exercise in achieving a long, healthy, happy life!

Achieving 10,000 steps per day is equivalent to approximately 5 miles per day, depending on the length of your stride and the pedometer you use. Remember, it is important to take a slow and gradual approach toward meeting this goal.

** Lynch BM et al. Don’t take cancer sitting down: a new survivorship research agenda. Cancer 2013;119(11):1928-35.
*** Matthews CE et al. Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors and cause-specific mortality in US adults. The American journal of clinical nutrition 2012;95(2):437-45.
**** Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Atlanta, GA (1996).