Walking is undoubtedly the
easiest and most convenient form of exercise that there is, but we all seem to
need a little push and a best friend to motivate us to get out there every
day. With the exception of the dog
(truly man’s best friend) it is hard to find a human companion who is a
dedicated to adopting the same lifestyle that you are hoping to achieve. You
may very well have to settle for a mechanical gadget and a journal to spur you
on.
I have a drawer full of
inexpensive pedometers, most of which I either can’t figure out how to reset or
setting the stride length requires a degree in engineering. First of all, it is
worth investing in a good quality pedometer if you want to make it your fitness
barometer. Secondly, wear something with
a belt. Clipping your pedometer to a
flimsy waist band won’t work and the chances of losing it during the course of
the day is pretty high. Follow the instructions and clip your pedometer on the
front of your belt, in line with one knee.
Set your pedometer to zero and walk around a bit (counting the steps
taken by both feet), to check it for accuracy.
It is okay if your count is off by a step or two but if it is off by
10%, test it again. If it isn’t giving
you an accurate reading return it and get another one.
I know you are excited to
get started on those recommended 10,000 steps a day, but Mark Fenton in his
book “Pedometer Walking,” seriously recommends wearing your pedometer every day
for a week to establish a baseline. I
can tell you from personal experience that you don’t take as many steps during
the course of a day as you think you do.
10,000 steps don’t sound like much but if you are taking less than 5,000
steps during the course of a day, this is a huge leap. Wear your pedometer for a week (a regular
week, not when you are trying to impress anybody) and record your step count. At the end of your 7 day week add up your
daily counts and divide by 7. Exercise
if you usually do so but don’t add any new exercises for this one week, and
take note of any exception to your routine that may have added extra steps.
Your ultimate goal is to
walk at least 10,000 steps a day but, as with most exercise programs, you
should work into this gradually. The
first week it is recommended that you shoot for a 20% increase over your
baseline, which may be less than a 1000 steps more than you were doing last
week. By the third week you can start
looking toward those elusive 10,000 steps.
The book by Fenton gives
some target rates to shoot for:
- At least 10,000 steps/day (70,000 per week) to
reducing risk for chronic illnesses and moderate weight loss
- 12,000- 15,000 steps/day (84,000-105 steps/week)
for long term health, plus more noticeable
weight loss
- At least 10,000 at a fast pace for more aerobic
work
Walk every day and record
your readings, but listen to your body (if you are pushing too hard and your
body is complaining you may have to take it down a notch). Increase gradually until your new activity
level becomes a habit. If you run out of
time or energy and have a slow day from time to time, that is okay. Start thinking about your weekly as well as
daily goals and adding a few extra steps can help you make up for a slow day.
Once you become accustomed
to walking a certain amount every day you might like to start thinking about
race walking or other ways to make walking more interesting and competitive.
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