My First Day Measuring My Steps...

Hello everyone!


I posted the other day about finally getting a pedometer.  Today, I put it on and went about my day. My work day was pretty active as far as work days go, I delivered a couple of papers to other places in the building, but all in all, my days at work are pretty sedentary. The grand total? A measly 2,214 steps.  And that would pretty much be it for me on a typical day without extra exercise or going to the store, etc.  This is also approximate, as little movements that aren't walking also made the pedometer tick. 

Then, I added a 30 minute walk, which added another 3,335 steps, bringing the grand total to 5,549.  That would put me (barely) in the "Low active" activity level. 

1. Sedentary (Inactive)

Pedometer steps = less than 5,000 steps a day

This is equivalent to getting less than 150 minutes of exercise per week, or less than the minimum amount of exercise recommended for all adults. 

2. Low Active

Pedometer steps = 5,000 – 7,499 steps a day

3. Somewhat Active

Pedometer steps = 7,500 – 9,999 steps a day

4. Active

Pedometer steps = 10,000 steps or more a day

This is the recommended amount of activity for adults to promote and maintain health. To reach 10,000 steps a day, people generally have to add 30 minutes of exercise to their day, in addition to their regular daily activities. 

5. Highly Active

Pedometer steps = 12,500 steps or more a day.

This is the recommended number of steps to lose weight. This may seem impossible at first, but I assure you it is possible.

Set goals to gradually increase your steps. Then look for any opportunity to take extra steps throughout the day whether you’re at work, home, or anywhere else.

Source:
Tudor-Locke C. & Bassett, D.R. (2004). How many steps/day are enough? Preliminary pedometer indices for public health. Sports Med. 34(1):1-8.


So there we have it.  Aiming for a goal of 12,500 steps a day.  It sounds REALLY daunting but I believe I can do it.   

Right now, since my daily activity level is "Low Active" when I add walks, my first goal is increase that to "Somewhat Active." There are times when I do walk for a full hour aside from my other daily things.  I'll measure the steps I take for that too.

Also, I have again started the Morning Banana Diet that I talked about a while back.   So far, feeling pretty good! 

Have a great day everyone, it's almost the weekend!