Let’s get to Walking!

By: Stacy Rivera

 Health Goal:
My goal for this assignment was to combat my sedentary lifestyle by using an
app to track my walks and help me increase my step count to get as close to
the recommended 10,000 steps a day.

Reference Point:
For reference, I work in insurance and my job keeps me confined to my desk
for 8 hours of my day. Additionally, I attend school full-time so my afternoons
are spent doing schoolwork leaving me little time to be active. On average, I
embarrassingly only take 1,000-2,000 steps a day.
mHealth App: Map my Walk by Under Armour
For this assignment I used the app
Map my Walk
Map my Walk allows users to:
● Track and map walks
● Discover new routes posted by other
users
● Gain in-depth information such as
pace, distance, duration, elevation
etc.
● Receive weekly reports with walking
totals to track improvement
● Track step count
 Dangers of a Sedentary Lifestyle
According to MedlinePlus the risks of an inactive lifestyle include:

● Poor immune system

● Poor blood circulation
● Weight gain
● Higher risks of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2
diabetes, and increased feelings of depression and anxiety

Personally, I feel the effects of my recent sedentary lifestyle in my waistline as

well as my mood and motivation. I definitely feel more stressed and anxious as
exercise is usually an outlet for me.
Citation:
Health risks of an inactive lifestyle: MedlinePlus. (n.d.). https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html
I started on my
own and then it
became a
family affair!

The dogs
certainly
loved going on
walks
everyday.
 PROS
One aspect I really enjoyed about the app was the
summary it provided at the end of the walk.
As shown in the screenshot to the left I was able
to easily see the exact route I walked, the length
of my walk, how many steps I took, as well as
elevation gained and average pace per mile.

I also received weekly reports that included totals

for that week that I found very motivational.
 CONS
● The app downloads your step count from your smart watch or phone
only during walks and doesn’t actually track your steps through the
app itself.
● The app doesn’t count steps if you don’t have an active walk recording
the data. Since it doesn’t record miscellaneous steps such as steps to
the kitchen, mailbox, bathroom, etc. the step count isn’t entirely
accurate.
● The app doesn’t accurately track steps or distance from a treadmill
walk. You have to manually change the settings on the app to track
treadmill walks which was unclear in the beginning.
 Health Benefits & Improvements
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
benefits of physical activity such as walking include:

● Improved brain health

● Decreased risk of depression and anxiety
● Weight management
● Reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and some
cancers
I genuinely feel that my health improved from using this app for the last 30 days. My step
count improved by a lot and even on days where I was only able to do a short walk my step
count was at least double from before I used the app. For reference, on the next slide I
posted screenshots of my step count from my Apple Watch prior to using the app. Citation:
Benefits of physical activity. (2020, August 11). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm
PRE-APP WITH APP WITH APP
Benefits of Walking & Exercise on Mental Health
● Improved self-esteem
● Self-efficacy
● Social interaction
● Improved mood
● Improved sleep
● Reduced stress & anxiety levels

According to Sharma et al. (2006), “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety,
depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has
also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal” (Sharma et
al., 2006).

Dr. Sharma & his partners suggest that just 30 minutes of exercise 3 days a week at moderate
intensity is sufficient for these health benefits. Personally, I experienced better moods and the
walks allowed me to step away and clear my head even if it was only for 1 hour in the day.
Citation: Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for Mental Health. The Primary Care Companion to The
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 08(02), 106. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a
 SUMMARY
Overall, I enjoyed using Map my Walk and I feel like people could definitely
use this app long term. Especially those who are walking different routes on
their walks. For example, I would have loved to use this app on a hike but I
never got around to it and only used it in my neighborhood. Additionally, I felt
it was easy to log my progress and the app was user friendly for the most part.
However, since the app was using my smartwatch to download my step count
and the app didn’t track any of my miscellaneous steps I’d suggest ditching
this app and simply using the built-in step count function on your average
smartwatch whether it be an Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, FitBit, etc.
which we wouldn’t have without the advancement of health IT!
 References
Benefits of physical activity. (2020, August 11). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm

Health risks of an inactive lifestyle: MedlinePlus. (n.d.).

https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html

Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for Mental Health. The Primary
Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 08(02), 106.
https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a