Pedometer

I believe too many people are intimidated by exercise. In the view of many individuals, exercise means a membership to a gym or an elaborate and expensive set up at home. Exercise is assumed by many to be uncomfortable, a chore and requires many hours of time per day.  Too many people put off exercise to the tomorrow that never comes or always has an excuse for not working out today.  I've heard them all and I've even used a few myself through the years.

 

 

Exercise comes in all forms and I like to create a mix of exercise options that combine cardiovascular and strength training.  I try to avoid performing the same workout routine each and every night.  I like to give my body a multitude of exercise routines that vary each night and challenges my body to become stronger, leaner and healthier.

 

 

I love to walk, so it is very easy for me to incorporate this activity into my daily routine.   There are some days that walking is the only form of exercise that I will get.  But walking is still better than just sitting on the couch and watching television.  Is walking as good as running or other cardiovascular activities that are going to increase your heart rate more?  Probably not, but for many people, walking may be the only form of exercise they are able or willing to perform. 

 

 

I wish everyone would own a pedometer.  Pedometers measure how many steps you take each day and allows you to better achieve a set goal of steps taken each day.  I have used a pedometer for a number of years now and I love being able to keep track of how many steps I walk per day.  There is no better motivation to work out than when I look at my pedometer and it shows I am nowhere near my daily goal.   There are many companies that manufacture and sell pedometers and they are rather inexpensive.

 

 

I would recommend that you use the pedometer every day.   Pedometers are about the size of a pack of gum and can be placed in your pocket.  They provide a display that can show many measurements like steps taken, distance travelled and some have memory settings so that you can recall recent steps per day.

 

 

There are many references online regarding how many steps to walk each day.  If you perform you own search, you will find a common recommendation is to walk 10,000 steps per day as a minimum goal, which is approximately 5 miles. These may seem like intimidating numbers, but start out with goals of 3500 or 5000 and work your way up to 10000 steps.  I promise you will be amazed on not only how few steps you take on some days and how many you walk on others. 

 

 

If you are just beginning to get into a workout routine, I would recommend getting a pedometer and using it each day for a couple of weeks and averaging your daily steps. Then make increasing goals each week until you meet the 10,000 step goal.  

 

 

If you are already working out on a regular basis, I would still recommend a pedometer, too.  If you use a treadmill, elliptical machine or you run outside, keeping track of your daily steps is another way for you to keep motivated.   For awhile, I was trying to achieve 15,000 steps per day.  The only way I could achieve that with my schedule was to use an elliptical machine or treadmill.  It forced me to increase my speed during the workout to achieve these numbers in the limited amount of time I had to work out.

 

 

There are many ways for you to increase your daily steps. You can park far from the entrance to the places of business you are shopping.   You can set aside time for a walk in your neighborhood.  You can go to a nearby walking trail, lake or mall.  Find destinations like mailboxes or stores that are a distance that you can walk from your house instead of driving.  Call a friend or family member and go for a walk together instead of going out to eat.     

 

 

The bottom line is that the pedometer gives you an objective measurement to meet your daily exercise goals.  If you combine healthy eating and at least 10,000 steps per day, you should see results rather quickly.  You may be shocked at how few steps you walk per day if you are not measuring it.    You will be surprised at how much this device will change your daily routine and how creative you will become at finding extra steps to walk.

 

 

Click HERE to view the Amazon.com information for the pedometer we use.