I have a pedometer which I absolutely LOVE. As soon as I dress in the morning I strap it to my pocket and begin to eagerly anticipate its little numbers ticking higher and higher. To accomplish that goal I start to imagine and map circuitous routes through the apartment and office: through the hallway to feed the cat, go back to the bedroom for your socks, then back down the hallway and around the table for the cereal, then back up the hallway for you shoes etc etc. It gives my daily life purpose and meaning: to get a high score! Just like a video game.
Sadly, and despite my meandering, my little pedometer tends to confirm how sedentary my daily life really is. At my office, I have days when I come in to work, eat lunch, and leave without topping 300 steps. That means in an 8 hour period I traverse a distance of only about two football fields. That's like a minute of walking, for the WHOLE day. The recommendation for a healthy, able bodied adult is 10 to 12,000 steps a day. So I often leave work in need of at least 9.000 steps.
This leads to a life of all out step GREED. I am constantly trying to come up with excuses to gain some steps. I walk to the kitchen for water. I hand deliver proofs to editors instead of using their mailbox. I stock the printer paper. And if I'm feeling really desperate I will take ten or fifteen minute break to stroll through the graveyard next to the office. When I get home, doctor permitting, I'll run or go for a walk. If my numbers are still low I've learned that the grocery store is an excellent source for steps. Today I did all those things and my final number: a paltry 7,629. Sigh...
But the Pedometer is still a lot of fun. I really love being able to collect "data" on my daily activities. It's fun to spot the trends of my activity. Oddly enough Wednesdays tend to be my least active days after Sunday. Sunday scores are almost always abysmal since my normal schedule is church, nap, dinner, goodnight. It's also handy in tracking the distance of runs and provides an estimate of aerobic steps as well as calories burned. I have a "Brunton" and it has served me well and survived numerous near fatal drops.
8 comments:
I also have and love a pedometer. I work at a hospital though, so it's not unusual to find I've walked a couple miles by the end of a shift. You'd think I'd be loosing the weight by the pounds by now, but alas, I need to eat better. I also have a funny experience about trying to explain what a pedometer is on the mission, but that is a story best told personally, although it is really short. It has to do with false cognates though...
Hmm, I shouldn't post after midnight, I guess. Losing. (SP)
What are you doing up? Katy woke me up in the middle of a deep sleep and I couldn't fall back asleep. What's your excuse? Night shifts this week? And it doesn't have to be after midnight for a fun post about false cognates. Always good for a laugh.
This morning I forgot to put my pedometer on when I got up. Not only was I frustrated that I had forgotten, I was sad that I wasn't going to have the steps counted for going outside to turn on the sprinkler and down to the basement to feed the dogs. It's on now so I can begin counting...
Like Dan, I can always count on walking up and down the hospital halls for a good number of steps. I occasionally get 7,000-8,000 steps in an eight hour shift.
Does Aaron want a pedometer yet?
1) Personally I'm all about effeciency. I'd rather do everything in one room before proceeding to the next room. The back and forth stuff just wastes time in my book. If You save time by not having to go back and forth between rooms then you can potentially have more time to exercise or get more things done around the house. Obviously this doesn't necessarily apply to every situation. Generally you are at work for a certain number of hours regardless of how many steps you take or how ineffecient one may be. And sometimes you do need to get up and walk/move around so you can work more effeciently :) And in those cases I say Walk on!
2) You should do scientific experiments to figure out the margin of error of your pedometer. That way you could figure out if you could really rely on the number shown on your pedometer :)
I've been wearing a pedometer for the last two weeks and lost 6 pounds... seems to be a popular accesory in the Capener family these days.
Katy- you have me hooked. I've always wanted to try out a pedometer, but I broke my mom's 9 steps after I put it on. But I think it would be like a sweet vido game and I agree about walking aroudnas much as possible in my home to get more steps and exercise. Walk on sister.
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