Book excerpt: The world does not need another "how to exercise" book. And this is exactly what this book is not about. Written in a refreshingly humorous and compassionate by the creator of the First Step Program™, the only scientifically proven pedometer-based physical activity intervention, Manpo-Kei™: The Art and Science of Step Counting presents the appealing rationale and the simplistic methods for taking back our naturally active lifestyles using a simple and inexpensive pedometer. The title of the revolutionary little book is a reflection of the Japanese 30-year experience with personal pedometers and lifestyle activity. Nicknamed "manpo-kei" which literally means "10,000 steps meter" in Japanese, the devices were imported to America in the mid-1990's by scientists who used them to determine daily activity levels in research studies. The power that these little instruments have to motivate individuals to increase their activity is just now being acknowledged by these same scientists... it is now time to let the public in on the secret. The author of this book holds nothing back while providing a workbook style content that gently guides the reader through the Manpo-kei™ program of self-monitoring, goal-setting, and personal feedback processes. The author also gives away handy tools including a pedometer shopping list (what to look for), activity logs, and personal feedback worksheets.