Yesterday, I didn't walk before or after work (Chris walked the dog before he left and I had a dentist appointment after work... that, plus it was sleeting and freezing cold all day long!) and could only walk in the parking garage during my breaks because of the weather (I don't walk as fast for safety in there). By the end of the day, I only had 8000 steps - and that was with me trying pretty hard.
I was talking to Chris about how PURPOSEFUL you actually have to be about activity in order to get the recommended amounts in! Especially now as the weather starts to take a turn for the worse, it will be even more difficult.
We walk a LOT - we walk the dog anywhere from 1 to 3 times a day, we walk at work, we walk to friends' houses for social stuff, we sometimes even walk to the stores nearby our house. And unless we throw in a 5 mile hike during the day (which is a weekend thing usually!), we barely make 10,000 steps per day.
It made me wonder about a lot of people I know who don't walk purposely at all - no dog to walk, no lunch break walks, etc. Just out the door, to the car, to the office and back. No wonder so many 9-5 job Americans are struggling with health and fitness. This isn't just a normal/expected part of life anymore - evidenced by my coworkers exclaiming with surprise when I put on my jacket and scarf for my mid-morning walk today because it is quite cold out. They don't know why I don't just go sit in the cafeteria with them.
I want to keep moving. Use it or lose it, yeah?? I want to be that 80 year old woman I see out in the neighborhood walking every day. I want to be those post-retirement folks I see out on the hiking trails. So I am going to keep up the good habits!
I like the pedometer. I think I will use it for about a month to get a sense of what my trends are and activity levels are on normal days so that I can incorporate that data into my future decisions about activity - if I should up it or not!
The rest of the week will be a little extra active for me. Chris has been taking morning dog walk duties but he is traveling this week, so I get 30 extra minutes of activity a day. The extra walk is good for me, but I will admit to preferring that my husband was home and our normal routine was back!!
Where I work there are many people who walk outside at lunch or at breaks. I wonder if it's a western state thing? But maybe your coworkers go to the gym or run after work instead of walking.
ReplyDeleteI have a pedometer somewhere; I should look for it. I don't like to carry my phone all the time but I once bought a pedometer; it was really inexpensive and I also bought my mom one. I used to use it when I ran or hiked and didn't know the mileage.
There are certain states that are, in general, much more healthy and active than others. New York is NOT one of those state, especially the area I live in. The city itself is not designed well for walkers or bikers (in fact, can be downright dangerous) and overall, the general attitude is not one of YAY ACTIVITY! There is always active people around if you look (runners, rowers, hikers, skiiers, etc) but in an average office? Eh, most people want to sit around all day, even though they are already sitting at a desk all day. It's kind of scary to look around my office building, it appears that over 3/4 of the women are significantly obese... though the men tend not to be as much, for some reason?
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