walk 10,000 steps a day

We are starting another Pedometer challenge at work. We will randomly assign teams of about 15 people each. The team that walks the highest average number of steps per day in the month of March wins movie tickets and the afternoon off to go see it. March in March it is called.

This is great. We have had idividual challenges before and me and several others have pedometers and challenge each other… but here we have to walk to keep the team average up. The best inspiration yet!

I have been doing ok considering it is winter… holding at about 6000-7000 steps per day average. Still getting off the bus a stop early and parking on the far side of the parking lots. On weekends I am getting in a good march with the dog and cats. I am going to the hospital (next door to where I work) and walking the halls 1-2 days per week during lunch. I need to do this 3 times per week. (There is also an indoor track at my health club but track walking is boring so I don’t do it often.) I also need to TAKE THE STAIRS MORE. Maybe I need to set that up as a seperate goal.

I am looking forward to the days getting longer and the weather a bit warmer so the dog and I can get out in the evenings for river walks.

Keep walking!

We have a crisis! My pedometer’s battery was dead and I had left it on the dresser in the bedroom…. I got a new battery yesterday and now I can’t find the pedometer. Do I just go out and buy another one?

I am on a challenge at work that is suppose to start today. Walk two miles today and work up by adding .1 of a mile everyday until we get to 5 miles per day. I need my Ped! I can guestimate by walking 30 minutes at a fast pace…. but if I walk a 15 minute mile how many minutes more do I need to walk tomorrow add a .1 mile? Math and minutes always confuses me.

Wait. I am thinking. Maybe I had the pedometer in the car to buy the new battery…. I’ll check when I get back to the park and ride lot tonight. I was going to do my walking session when I got home anyway. I can guesstimate tonight if I don’t find it.

Crisis temporarily averted. Thanks for listening as I scattered my brain! b.

I am walking at least 7000 steps every day. I am walking 9000 or more most days. Rascal the friendly dog is completely responsible for this behaviour.

I get off the bus a stop early in the mornings.
I walk a block away to catch the bus in the evening.
I get off the bus a stop early at the park and ride lot.
I park on the far side of every parking lot.
I am parking a half a block away from my house.
I am taking the dog (Rascal) and 5 cats out for a walk almost every night. (We missed today because there were thunderstorms all day.)

The length of the nightly walk determines my 7000 or 9000 totals for the day:

If it is twilight when I get home we go to the woods for 2000 step loop. What it lacks in length or aerobic potential - it makes up for it by testing my balance and agility. The trail goes over rocks, downed trees and up and down the river bank - and up a couple of really good hills.

If we have plenty of daylight, we go for 2 miles to the swimming hole and back. Aerobic and scenic too!

If it is dark when I get home (very dark) we loop the block after supper. I stop looping and return home at a leisurely pace when I poop out. My poop out level at the present time is 41 aerobic minutes and 3.1 miles. That is up and down a good steep hill. When I started this goal I could make it for 10 minutes.

I need to be more conciencious about taking the stairs at work. I got in a good habit of it early on but have slacked off recently. I also can’t seem to break away to get in a stroll at lunch. That would be good for my mental health as well as my physical health. That 1000-3000 steps would put me over 10,000 every day. I am going to set reminders to myself on my Palm Calendar. Maybe a reward—wonder what that could be?

I still say Rascal is responsible for all my progress.

I am wearing my pedometer every day. I take it off and attach it on my purse at night. I may forget if it is on the night stand or on the dresser… but I’ll see it as soon as I grab for my purse to leave home—so that is the place that works best for me.

I have inspired several people at work to “healthy-up” and me, by them. (The giving up sugar goal—a friend at work had a chocolate and sweet roll every morning, sweet tea with lunch and a Coke in the afternoon… then she went home for the day. She gave up sugar as of Christmas. If she can. I can.) They see the pedometer and ask about it.

I am averaging 8000 steps a day over the last month. I need to add 2 laps with the dog at night to our evening stroll.

I got a “Fitness Journal” set up in Excel—thanks to tips from a 43t person here… I’ll have to look up the entry. It is really good to look back and see how many steps in a month, how many miles, etc.

The pedometer also measures aerobic steps. I know when I need to speed up or slow down. It is a great way to learn to pace myself faster. I can look at it about anytime and see if I need to lap the block on the way to the bus or at home when I am walking the dog.

Rascal - the Jack Russel that owns me? She loves it. She has trimmed up some too. But she runs so much - don’t know how much difference 3 laps around the neighborhood make to her calorie consuption level! :-)

Have a great day. I am going to find Rascal and go hoof it.

11/17/05 9552 (whoop-de-doo!)
11/16/05 3486 (Computer time and billpaying after work)
11/15/05 did not wear. (Travel day from mountains)
11/14/05 did not wear. (Hung out with dad all day so mom could go to grocery, get hair cut and do girl things. Played really fun and rough with 3 YO grand nephew for 1 hour)(That was all I could take!)
11/13/05 1100 steps from 12 Noon until 2:30 PM (Travel day from Durham to mountains—wore it from the time I got home from Durham, repacked, refilled water bowls, and got back in car to go to mountains….)
11/12/05 Forgot it at home. (Went to Durham, toured School of Science and Math with nephews from 9AM-3PM, went swimming, went
out to eat and then, went to bed)
11/11/05 3901 worked late instead of exercising. Went to bed early.
11/10/05 4906 dinner with friends instead of exercising. Worked at home on computer until very late.
11/9/05 7958 walked 30 minutes with a friend and then went to grocery store. Parked on far far side of parking lot.
11/8/05 8640 strolled around pictureque “planned community” after dinner with friend.

My co-worker had to go to S-F to take care of her brother who had a stroke. She may not be back for a week or more.

So. I have to walk without her and think good thoughts for her and her brother and that all goes well for them.

I am setting up a tally because there were some days I think I have missed recording.

I am getting in about 5000 steps on a regular day: walking up and down stairs at work, getting off bus a stop early, doing the “general run” at home feeding kitties, picking up the house, cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry—moving around as normal.

If I add about 30 minutes of walking—a nice stroll after dinner, I can easily add another 2000 steps.

Instead of a stroll, if I put in a power burn walk of about 1 hour, I get the 10,000 steps in.

If I go home and immediately get on the computer, I am hard pressed to get in 4000 steps.

A co-worker also has a pedometer. We are going see who can walk 10,000 steps the most days this month. The “loser” buys lunch!

Yea!

PS Even the “loser” is a winner in this game!

Got a new replacement model in the mail on Friday.

I am now trying to remember to put it on my belt/waistband early in the morning.

Saturday I didn’t remember until 9PM: walked 357 steps before bedtime. Sunday I wore it all day and walked 7279 steps (cleaned up the garden and went to the grocery, recycling, pharmacy and out to dinner downtown—then went by work and set up for a Monday morning Halloween party). Forgot it Monday until 9PM again: 657. Yesterday and today I registered 6079 and 6782 respectively. I have worked at home the last two days. Went for a walk at noon with the dog both days, but otherwise I was on the computer.

I am curious to see how many steps I walk on an average workday when I am working at work. I am climbing steps at work and work in a 6 story building.

I am glad to have a pedometer again. This is the easiest way to increase my fitness level - by parking far away at the grocery or walking to the post office - instead of driving and parking as close as possible. And by taking the stairs!

I am climbing stairs! I must be doing something right as my appetite has doubled. I am staying close to apples. I love them, and they are fun to eat, good for you and filling. In a week or so my bod will adjust to the new activity levels and I’ll go back to bars and cereal and yogurt for most meals, but for now I am wanting chicken and green beans and cabbage and corn and all manner of really good food. Then I have yogurt and banana for dessert.

I signed up for a new even remote-er parking lot at work. I am getting off the bus a stop early and further away as of Monday morning. I am climbing 3 flights of stairs and going down 2 and hiking about a 1/2 a mile before I get to work.

The bus stop to go home is about a block away.

Then in-between I am walking up stairs—still forget some and take the elevator, but I am remembering more than forgetting.

I may need some Cherry Garcia soon as a reward! Or Maybe I’ll watch The Patriot and What Women Want for some visual encouragement! :-)

I have decided if the warranty repair-needed pedometer is not returned by next week I am going to get a new one. Not a bad thing to have a spare and they are not expensive (about $20). Then I can actually tell you how many steps I am going—all I know is, I feel better than I did 1.5 weeks ago.

NO elevators. All stairs.

Pedometer is in the mail for the warranty repair.

DKP had the great idea about using fantasy as a motivator…. as I huff and puff up the steps I am going to imagine Mel Gibson is standing at the top of the stairs with a bowl of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia to reward me.

Huh! I let you know if the visual works. :-)

Many smiles.

hup two three four….