Cabinet minister Tessa Jowell is just one of the MPs who had been provided with a pedometer to measure her progress over a week.

FRONTRUNNERS Howard Stoate, 49, chairman, all-party parliamentary group on obesity Simon Burns, 51, member, health select committee David Amess, 52, member, health select committee Vernon Coaker, 50, deputy chairman, all-party parliamentary group on obesity Keith Bradley, 53, member, health select committee

The initiative comes from Move4Health which lobbies for a more active nation.

Ms Jowell said: "I'm making a special effort to walk and take the stairs. It's making me feel so much better."

Each of the MPs, including members of the Commons health select committee, recorded the number of steps they took each day.

Culture Secretary Ms Jowell's diary of her bid for healthier living shows that despite an extremely busy schedule it is possible to fit in a lot of steps just by abandoning the car - and by occasional trips to the gym.

Last Tuesday she wrote: "Frantic travelling all day to the North West of England and back.

"Tried to walk as much as possible though - amazed and delighted I broke the 10,000 mark."

Chelmsford West MP Simon Burns managed to beat his target all seven days.

"I was extremely surprised and delighted that I managed to clock up so many steps on my first day. The corridors of power must be much longer than I imagined. My only concern is whether I will now be able to maintain this exercise rate - I will try my best."

Respectable effort

Health committee chairman David Hinchliffe managed a respectable effort beating his target of 10,000 steps on four of seven days, and dipping only slightly below on the other three days.

REASONS TO BE ACTIVE Walking 10,000 steps a day can produce significant health benefits It can reduce the risk of heart disease, some cancers and certain types of diabetes Walking briskly for a total of 30 minutes a day can have a similar effect Swimming and cycling are also encouraged to achieve the same results

Independent MP Dr Richard Taylor MP said he had been wearing a pedometer for a couple of months and already averages 10,000 steps daily while in London.

"Once I get back to my constituency it's harder because there's less opportunity to walk between meetings," he said.

"At the weekend it depends on whether the weather is fine - if it is, my wife and I always go for a decent walk. A pedometer is certainly a great stimulus to get moving."

Conservative health spokesman Tim Yeo sang the benefits of getting out the office.

"I was opening a hospital and visiting a school, and made sure I walked around Dover instead of driving."

Dr Howard Stoate, chairman of the all-party Parliamentary group on obesity, is clearly one to lead by example as he chalked up a huge number of steps including 23,944 on the Tuesday and even beat that on another day totalling 24,610.