Thanks to my lovely, local library I have turned into a reading fool since we relocated to the East side of Columbus. My husband or I make 2-3 trips a week usually. This bookoholic has saved so much money on books!
This week I read Pedometer Walking. I saw it on the shelf and decided to dust off my pedometer and see what this book had in store for me. It is really a very interesting book about how much we should be walking daily… or rather how many steps we should be taking. According to studies too many Americans walk about 5000 steps daily… this is sedentary. To be considered active we need to be taking 10,000 or more steps per day. By using a pedometer I was able to see that I am REALLY lacking in my steps most days. Today for instance, as I write this post… I have walked only 6,787 steps and it is 5:00 PM when I typically start to relax and vegetate. In my defense I did not take a walk today and I like to walk 1-3 miles several times a week but still… I need to walk more.
Wearing the pedometer all day REALLY helps kick your butt in this regard. After I finish this post I will likely do some laundry (up and down steps) and cleaning just because I cannot stand to have such low step numbers. It gives you a goal to work towards every day. Also helpful is a little chart in the book that converts other activities, like swimming and cycling, to steps. When I go to my water aerobics class on Friday and complete the full 60 minutes I can convert this to 6,600 steps, provided I keep my legs moving. My husband has a pedometer too and it helped him to see that he takes over 16,000 steps just at work. Yowsa!
Anyway it is a fun book for helping you to start a walking program. It outlines the numerous reasons you may want to and helps create a plan for any goal you have whether it be weight loss or training for a race/walk. My motivation is mainly to get of my duff more often since I work a very sedentary job (on a computer for hours each day). I also want to participate in some organized walks in my community that are coming up, and not be winded.
What I like most about this book and the idea of pedometer walking is that is involves one small habit… wearing a pedometer each day and being mindful of how much you walk… easy peasy! I do suggest getting a quality pedometer though. The ones you can buy for $5 at Wal-Mart are crap. Mine broke after 2 days. Now I have a nifty one that closes to prevent accidental resetting when you rub up against something.
Are you walking 10,000 or more steps per day?
I started to track my steps when I did work, and I found that I did about 7000 a day at work, but I wanted to do more. Now that I am expecting, I still try to get 2 walks in per day, since I can’t run after the kiddo as much, I realize too that my daughter needs to be moving more as well. Thanks for the great book suggestion! I will definatley see if my library has it!
I know that I am nowhere’s close to 10,000. I had worn a pedometer a few times a couple years ago to see what my normal day looked like in steps, and I was consistently below. I love to sit and read to the children!
I’ve checked and see that our library also has the book, so I’m putting in a request to borrow the book. I just might order a good pedometer too. Thanks for the suggestion/boost. I know I ought to do something about it, and dh often talks about us getting more exercise (dh and I went for a walk together today, hooray!), and this just might be what I need to do. Thanks, Tiffany.
Good reminder! I used to wear a pedometer and had to really work to get my 10,000 steps on most days. With it so bitterly cold this winter in MN, I haven’t worn it in months. We’re in a small town in the boonies or I’d head to an indoor area like a mall for walking. I’m hoping spring comes very soon so I can get all the kids out walking again!