By Colin Fernandez Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail
Published: 19:00 BST, 25 June 2019 | Updated: 19:00 BST, 25 June 2019
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Counting how many steps you take each day might seem like a flash in the pan fad.
But scientists have found a short spell using the step counting devices can create a habit that lasts for years - and greatly reduce your risk of a heart attack or broken bones.
People who spent 12 months counting their steps had still got the exercise bug four years later, researchers said.
Counting steps increases the amount people walk and can protect their bones and heart, according to a study
Scientists at St Georges University Hospital in Tooting, south London, carried out an experiment in which 1,300 people were encouraged to count their steps, keep a diary, and talk to a practice nurse about walking more.
The nurse would suggest simple measures to increase exercise, such as getting off the bus one stop early, or going for a walk around the park once a week.
The people encouraged to exercise with pedometers had started off on around 7,300-7,500 steps a day, roughly the same as those not encouraged to exercise.
By the end of the 12-month trial, those encouraged to walk extra had added an average 600 more steps each day.
This was an increase of an extra 90 minutes of moderate exercise a week, up to one hour 20 minutes a week.
Incredibly, the habit had stuck and even four years later they were still getting more exercise than the control group.
The researchers calculate this simple intervention prevented large numbers of heart attacks, strokes and fractures.
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