Walking and Pregnancy in CHI 2010

Walking is, no doubt, one of the best ways of maintaining a healthy and balance body. It does not only help you keep trim, it can also keep your metabolism running strong which can aid you in any weight-loss efforts that you happen to be undertaking. It also reduces chances of life-threatening diseases and sicknesses. The only problem about walking is that it requires you to spend a lot of time doing the walking. Hence, our team has come up with a project proposal that will encourage people to take a walk and at the same time, enjoy the scenery of the outside world.

Walking is beneficial and nobody is exempted in the benefits walking could give. However, our team’s(I and Leia) target user for this proposed project will be those pregnant women. So how does walking benefit pregnant women? Through an online survey, pregnant women or those women who have gone to such crucial part of their lives stated that walking would make you feel more energized and helps you during labor. It also helps restless pregnant women to relax and find sleeping better, which will make the baby in your womb become healthy as well. Another post-effect that walking could give a pregnant woman is that, after the labor, it helps you gain back your figure quicker.

Walking throughout pregnancy also ensures that your body keeps up a level of health and fitness, making it easier to lose those pregnancy pounds after delivery. It eases constipation, along with aches and pains, helping you to sleep better at night. It can also reduce the length of the labor and decrease delivery complications.

The duration of the walk may depend on your level of comfort. You may begin walking 20 to 30 minutes three times per week and build from there to 30 - 60 minutes most days of the week and continue until you’re almost ready to deliver the baby. The word moderation is also required because you should never overdo the walking or push yourself to the limit like joining marathons just for the sake of walking. Instead, you may do brisk walking to help improve your endurance, circulation, and the condition of your heart.

Chronoped, the name of our team's proposed project, a wrist watch especially made for pregnant women. It comes with a pedometer that measures the number of steps, the distance covered and the pulse rate. Also, it has an alarm feature and a calendar for marking dates. It comes with a thin aluminum design that is sleek, modern and chic at the same time. With the 1.8 inch electroluminescent display touchscreen interface, everything, is in control with the touch of a fingertip. Also, with its hard rubber strap and neodymium magnet lock, Chronoped stays securely attached on the wrist.

This is a project in our Human-Computer Interaction subject with Mrs. Aloha Ambe. This project is inspired by the CHI 2010 Student Design Competition and this shall be submitted on January 24, 2010. For more information about the competition, click here.