I remember when I was about 8 years old, my dad came home from a business trip and handed me a pedometer that he obtained for free at the conference. I had no idea how to use it and it was a boring toy for my 8 year old brain so I threw it in a shoebox and went about life.
I haven't seen a pedometer since.
I thought pedometers were for old people because my grandma used it and recorded every step she took. I thought I never had to worry about how many steps I took – I'm young and healthy, so why do I need one? I already know I'm active.
WRONG.
In January of this year, I finally upgraded my ancient phone to an iPhone 6. Little did I know, there's a built in pedometer in the phone and an app that tracks every little step you take and flights of stairs you climb.
I couldn't believe it. I was walking less than 5,000 steps a day! In times, I had less than 1,000 steps a day! Talk about living a sedentary life.
I went online to learn more about pedometers and how many steps we should be taking a day. Let me tell you, I have ways to go.
"The
American Heart Association uses the
10,000 steps metric as a guideline to follow for improving health and decreasing risk of heart disease, the number one killer of men and women in America.
10,000 steps a day is a rough equivalent to the Surgeon General's recommendation to accumulate 30 minutes of activity most days of the week. It should be enough to reduce your risk for disease and help you lead a longer, healthier life. The benefits are many: lower BMI, reduced waist size, increased energy, and less risk for Type II diabetes and heart disease." – Fitbit Blog
Above is a picture of my pedometer graph. I have a daily average of 5,248 steps. I have reached over 10,000
once in the past month. And I considered myself to be an active person – not anymore. I walk to work and try to move around as much as I can at work. I'm still only meeting half the daily average. On top of that, as a student, I eat fast food, late night snacks to counterweight my exam stress. I really have to start incorporating lunch and afternoon walks to increase my steps!
After playing around with my pedometer for a month – I have become more aware about my daily activity level and overall health.
If you need help getting off the couch or a little motivation to start exercising – I suggest grabbing a pedometer and trying it out. You'll be surprised how many steps you take a day. Some may score low – and congratulations to those who walk more than 10,000 steps a day! Nothing motivates you to work out more after seeing a 2,000 count on your pedometer!
It's a fun way to stay on track with your health!
My goal is to bring my daily average steps up and get closer to a 10,000 steps a day lifestyle.
Hope you reach your goal!