Exercise: Do you know how many steps you walk in a day?
I believe one of the simplest and most compelling actions we can take to improve our health is to invest in a pedometer, commit to wear it everyday and monitor our steps. Pedometers are inexpensive (you can buy them as cheaply as $5 and on up), easy to use and a great way to get into action.
In fact, research shows that walking is one the simplest and best methods of exercise - it’s easy on your joints, it doesn’t cost much, and almost anyone can do it. And you can start at a pace that’s right for you and work up. Even if you start with 5 or 10 minutes, you can increase from there, in a moderate fashion. When it comes to weight loss, walking is the way to go and it without having an expensive gym membership. Not to mention the other health benefits you receive - more energy, it suppresses your appetite, you get to be outside in nature, and walking is totally meditative, just to name a few.
I use my pedometer everyday. And I don’t have one of those top of the line, fancy schmancy pedometers. I think I paid about $14 for it several months ago and has some pretty basic features. But I love it because it’s a serious wake up call for me and reminds me of when I need to get more into action.
Case in point, yesterday I walked about 1000 steps all day. 1000…that is both ridiculous and pathetic! You probably know that we should walk about 10,000 steps each day, or roughly 5 miles. While that may seem like a lot, if you live in a city or do lots of walking for you job, it’s not at all out of the realm of possibility. But yesterday, I barely moved. Just so happened that all my appointments were on the phone and I worked from home. And because I happen to live in a relatively small place there’s just not a lot of space for walking (although that is so not a good excuse when I can step outside and walk!). And I had planned to go to the gym yesterday, but truth be told, I didn’t make it enough of a priority and I let my work get in the way.
But today is a whole other story. Wearing the pedometer and seeing how few steps I walked yesterday has motivated me to go to the gym today and get in sufficient amounts of cardio. In fact, I’m going at lunch time so there’s no temptation to not go. Will I make up for yesterday’s missed steps? Definitely not, but it’s all I needed to get my butt in gear and to stay active the rest of the week. As an aside, I will say that I feel a little better because last Saturday I walked to and from the farmer’s market with my husband Bruce and it was a good 5 miles. And I’m planning to do it again this Saturday too.
So the question I have for you is do you own a pedometer? If so, do you wear it regularly and how does it help you? If you don’t have one, what are you waiting for? 
And what will inspire you to get one? To give you some easy ideas, check out the website where I bought mine, there are tons to choose from and it’s really just a matter of choosing what features you’re looking for or go to your local sporting goods store and pick one up. But don’t go crazy, start simple, get walking and get in the mode of better health.
Filed under: Cardio, Optimal Health, Pedometers, Walking, Energy, Weight Management, Exercise
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