The 10,000 steps!
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I have an office job and I sit at my desk for long periods of time as well. Doing the bare minimum of my daily life, I get 4500. I get 2k per day in the office just walking to the bathroom and the coffee pot and the water cooler when I do get up. One secret is when you do get up, be inefficient. I used to combine trips - bathroom and water refill all in one. Now, I go all the way to the bathroom, walk back to my desk for my water bottle, walk back to the kitchen, etc. This takes some extra time of course, but it's way to get in extra steps without taking extra breaks.
The other steps I get are taking my dogs on their potty breaks (3 per day, about 800 steps lapping my apartment complex, which is about all they can take during the AZ summers). My gym class is about 2500 steps (circuit training sort of like Curves gym, but it's more hardcore using heavy weights and kickboxing).
Then there's the steps you earn just walking around the house - bathroom, cooking, light cleaning, getting ready. I learned to be inefficient at home as well. Don't grab everything and go to the same area - make several trips.
Doing all this, I get in the area of 7k-8k ish. So, for that last 2 k, I have to go on a deliberate walk. 2k steps is one lap around my block and takes about 15 minutes. Boom. 10k and I really only spent 1 hour on exercise.
It's not impossible. If you remove the excuses, there are always ways to fit things in.5 -
HorrorGeekLiz wrote: »I have an office job and I sit at my desk for long periods of time as well. Doing the bare minimum of my daily life, I get 4500. I get 2k per day in the office just walking to the bathroom and the coffee pot and the water cooler when I do get up. One secret is when you do get up, be inefficient. I used to combine trips - bathroom and water refill all in one. Now, I go all the way to the bathroom, walk back to my desk for my water bottle, walk back to the kitchen, etc. This takes some extra time of course, but it's way to get in extra steps without taking extra breaks.
The other steps I get are taking my dogs on their potty breaks (3 per day, about 800 steps lapping my apartment complex, which is about all they can take during the AZ summers). My gym class is about 2500 steps (circuit training sort of like Curves gym, but it's more hardcore using heavy weights and kickboxing).
Then there's the steps you earn just walking around the house - bathroom, cooking, light cleaning, getting ready. I learned to be inefficient at home as well. Don't grab everything and go to the same area - make several trips.
Doing all this, I get in the area of 7k-8k ish. So, for that last 2 k, I have to go on a deliberate walk. 2k steps is one lap around my block and takes about 15 minutes. Boom. 10k and I really only spent 1 hour on exercise.
It's not impossible. If you remove the excuses, there are always ways to fit things in.
Yup that's it being inefficient...takes all my will power to do it tho....1 -
HorrorGeekLiz wrote: »I have an office job and I sit at my desk for long periods of time as well. Doing the bare minimum of my daily life, I get 4500. I get 2k per day in the office just walking to the bathroom and the coffee pot and the water cooler when I do get up. One secret is when you do get up, be inefficient. I used to combine trips - bathroom and water refill all in one. Now, I go all the way to the bathroom, walk back to my desk for my water bottle, walk back to the kitchen, etc. This takes some extra time of course, but it's way to get in extra steps without taking extra breaks.
The other steps I get are taking my dogs on their potty breaks (3 per day, about 800 steps lapping my apartment complex, which is about all they can take during the AZ summers). My gym class is about 2500 steps (circuit training sort of like Curves gym, but it's more hardcore using heavy weights and kickboxing).
Then there's the steps you earn just walking around the house - bathroom, cooking, light cleaning, getting ready. I learned to be inefficient at home as well. Don't grab everything and go to the same area - make several trips.
Doing all this, I get in the area of 7k-8k ish. So, for that last 2 k, I have to go on a deliberate walk. 2k steps is one lap around my block and takes about 15 minutes. Boom. 10k and I really only spent 1 hour on exercise.
It's not impossible. If you remove the excuses, there are always ways to fit things in.
Yup that's it being inefficient...takes all my will power to do it tho....
I agree. Especially as a working mom, I used to try to be as efficient as possible, doubling up on as many tasks as I could. I would say the biggest contributors for me in getting my steps in are the effort it took to train myself to get up every morning to try to get in an hour of exercise, looking for ways to get steps in where I wouldn't have before (parking in back of the lot, pacing when I read to the kids, etc) and literally not sitting down at home unless I'm eating or when I'm officially "done" for the day. I watch maybe an hour of television at the end of the night with my husband after the kids are in bed from about 9:30-10:30, I read for half an hour before bed, and that's it. I don't sit down (other than dinner) at home other than that.2 -
Would anyone be able to recommend the best pedometer at the lowest price that can measure ALL steps, including causal ones, such as walk from home office to kitchen?.
I understood some of them only start measuring briefly after a longer, sustained walk is initiated.
Thank you all.0 -
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm[/quote]
I hope you are right. Yes, I try to do both cardio and weights. I walk briskly (sometimes run with intervals) to the gym and once I get there I do some weights. Then I stop at the store nearby, pick up a few things and then walk back. That's usually my routine. There are about 0.7 miles to the gym and 0.7 back. So 1.4 miles walk and whatever happens to the gym where I do weights...but I must confess I don't exactly kill myself lifting.
I am a naturally low energy person. If left to my own devices, I would sit and read all day.
My idea of heaven is forever living in European coffee houses with coffee and croissants in front of me.
Most of my activity is cerebral, not physical. I could sit and read heavy books for hours on end but after an hour of exercise I feel like this is pretty much the most I can give in terms of physical exertion.
Unfortunately, I read that concentrating all of your physical activity in one hour of exercise a day doesn't make much of a difference and that you must be moving all the time throughout the day.
Whether some people have the type of jobs where they can constantly interrupt work to move around doesn't change the reality that in the 21st century, most jobs are sedentary and some require intense concentration that is not conducive to regular interruptions for healthy steps.
So I hope you are right that I can atone with 1 hour of exercise a day. :-(
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I disagree. "Most people?" Seriously, what do you mean by healthy steps? Are there unhealthy steps? I really dislike the constant interruptions during the day, but in fact, it is part of my job, whether I like it or not. It is part of servicing our customers and interacting with my co-workers. Office job, detail oriented, accounting, if I were glued to my chair for the 11+ hours per day I am in the office, I would have found another job long ago. Getting up and moving around is refreshing for me and give me a little energy boost. Besides, with all the water I have been drinking for the past 4 years since being on MFP, I definitely have to get up from my desk more often. The alternative would not be acceptable.
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All of the suggestions above are great....I typically make sure I get up and walk a short distance at least once an hour...just through the halls of my work...in fact, I've been on here a while so I'm going to get up and do that now!!! It IS possible and the most important point is that we do keep moving...we've settled into such a sedentary place....I like the challenge but some days it's impossible to get the steps in...don't beat yourself up, tomorrow's a new day!1
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wisdomfromyou wrote: »I work from home at the computer, so I don't even get steps walking to & from the car. My normal day is 1000 steps. I have to take 2-3 intentional walks per day to get my 10,000 steps and I do just that. Tomorrow is my 2 year fitbit anniversary. I've logged 5,5 million steps and 9200+ floors since then!
2-3 intentional walks a day would pretty much ruin my entire day in terms of attention allocated to other tasks (work, children, cooking). How long are each one of your walks?
20-40 minutes. Being overweight pretty much ruined my life, so I had to make some choices and decisions. My advice is to add 1,000 steps at a time. You don't have to immediately go from 0 to 10,000, especially if it will ruin your life. You don't have to increase your steps at all if you don't want to.1 -
Do you get coffee breaks and a lunch break? When I don't work out over lunch I go for a walk - can easily get 6000-7000 steps in in a 40 min walk.... Same with coffee breaks - have coffee at my desk while Im working and walk for 15 minutes.....
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wisdomfromyou wrote: »Would anyone be able to recommend the best pedometer at the lowest price that can measure ALL steps, including causal ones, such as walk from home office to kitchen?.
I understood some of them only start measuring briefly after a longer, sustained walk is initiated.
Thank you all.
A FitBit will measure all steps. The cheapest model is $50 (FitBit Zip). Given the software it comes with as well, it's a worthwhile investment. I've had all manner of those cheap pedometers that you clip on and they are garbage.1 -
wisdomfromyou wrote: »Would anyone be able to recommend the best pedometer at the lowest price that can measure ALL steps, including causal ones, such as walk from home office to kitchen?.
I understood some of them only start measuring briefly after a longer, sustained walk is initiated.
Thank you all.
This is probably going to be the cheapest one with any real accuracy: https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HJ-321-Tri-Axis-Alvita-Pedometer/dp/B007ZWIJR2
Wal-Mart or somewhere might have it cheaper. It picks up me walking from room to room in my house, but it doesn't necessarily catch my taking two steps from the kitchen counter to the fridge.
If I don't exercise or intentionally go walk, I land between 3000 and 4000 steps - I'm kind of surprised other people are saying their sedentary baseline is 5000+. I'm with you that getting up to walk around breaks my concentration. To get more steps in at work, I make sure I get up 2-3 times a day and get a couple of laps in - longer breaks instead of a bunch of short ones. I pace in front of the microwave while heating up my lunch. I do bathroom breaks and water breaks as separate trips. I never call anyone in the building; I go to their desks instead. It still doesn't get me that much more, so on non-cardio days I warm up for lifting by jogging a mile, and I try to get a walk in after dinner. If I get 8000 steps in, I'm happy.0 -
mskessler89 wrote: »If I don't exercise or intentionally go walk, I land between 3000 and 4000 steps - I'm kind of surprised other people are saying their sedentary baseline is 5000+.
When I worked from home and had a fenced in yard for the dogs so I didn't have to walk them and a crappy job I was working 16-20 hours per day at, some days I would pull in 800 steps. No lie. My max back then was like 1800. Just the sheer act of getting dressed and walking to and from the car at home and at work, walking to the other side of a building to use the restroom, no yard so I HAVE to walk the dogs....it all really adds up. A lazy weekend day where all I do is Netflix binge, I'll end up with 3k-ish, just from the dogs and wandering around the house. It's amazing how they can rack up while you still feel like you did nothing.3 -
There are a lot of great tips here but I am still gonna list some of my own
I park far from work and the store, I take the long way to the bathroom at work, twice a day at work I walk down 4 flights of stairs and back up, when warming my lunch I pace in the kitchen, at home I walk up my stairs 3-4 times just to go up & down, and I have been taking my dog on walks in the morning and evening -- my goal right now is to increase to 15,000 steps and these things are getting me closer to that goal.
Good luck!0 -
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I have a desk job (programmer), and I get around 4k steps just from getting coffee and going to the bathroom. It's easier than you think getting to 10k steps.
That said, if you're having trouble, try playing something like Ingress (or Pokemon Go, I guess, which is basically the same thing). You'll get your steps in easily, and then some.0 -
wisdomfromyou wrote: »ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »If you're doing cardio during your exercise don't worry about the 10k step myth. work more on getting your heart rate up during exercise.
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm
I hope you are right. Yes, I try to do both cardio and weights. I walk briskly (sometimes run with intervals) to the gym and once I get there I do some weights. Then I stop at the store nearby, pick up a few things and then walk back. That's usually my routine. There are about 0.7 miles to the gym and 0.7 back. So 1.4 miles walk and whatever happens to the gym where I do weights...but I must confess I don't exactly kill myself lifting.
I am a naturally low energy person. If left to my own devices, I would sit and read all day.
My idea of heaven is forever living in European coffee houses with coffee and croissants in front of me.
Most of my activity is cerebral, not physical. I could sit and read heavy books for hours on end but after an hour of exercise I feel like this is pretty much the most I can give in terms of physical exertion.
Unfortunately, I read that concentrating all of your physical activity in one hour of exercise a day doesn't make much of a difference and that you must be moving all the time throughout the day.
Whether some people have the type of jobs where they can constantly interrupt work to move around doesn't change the reality that in the 21st century, most jobs are sedentary and some require intense concentration that is not conducive to regular interruptions for healthy steps.
So I hope you are right that I can atone with 1 hour of exercise a day. :-(
I look at it this way: if I sit, I guesstimate I burn 30 kcal/hour; standing 60kcal/hour; puttering about 100kcal/hour. Then if I spend an hour at exercise class or walking, I use perhaps 300-400kcal, sometimes more, but I have the added benefit of aerobic exercise, which is good for my heart and lungs. To me, one is lifestyle (puttering about being my personal goal) and the other is activity or exercise (walking briskly for an hour). I would add this: people can aerobically exercise for 5-10 minutes at a time with bursts of energetic activity and it counts as part of total aerobic exercise - just add up the bursts at the end of the day.
My cousin traded her desk chair for a big exercise ball she sits on at her computer. My doctor traded his desk for a treadmill desk. Just 2 examples of alternatives that people have come up with to burn more calories and stay more active. The exercise ball seat wouldn't register on your Fitbit or other device as "steps", of course, unless your were bouncing about.
Add: Muscular individuals would have a higher "burn" at rest, and I just used those numbers as examples or guesses, not as hard & fast numbers, more just for demonstration.
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I do like to throw the idea of rescuing a dog from your local animal control or rescue organization out there as a way of improving your health in multiple ways and giving an animal the home he or she deserves. A nice walk with your new companion in the morning and evening will add a substantial number of steps to your daily activity!2
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I look at it this way: if I sit, I guesstimate I burn 30 kcal/hour; standing 60kcal/hour; puttering about 100kcal/hour. Then if I spend an hour at exercise class or walking, I use perhaps 300-400kcal, sometimes more, but I have the added benefit of aerobic exercise, which is good for my heart and lungs. To me, one is lifestyle (puttering about being my personal goal) and the other is activity or exercise (walking briskly for an hour). I would add this: people can aerobically exercise for 5-10 minutes at a time with bursts of energetic activity and it counts as part of total aerobic exercise - just add up the bursts at the end of the day.
My cousin traded her desk chair for a big exercise ball she sits on at her computer. My doctor traded his desk for a treadmill desk. Just 2 examples of alternatives that people have come up with to burn more calories and stay more active. The exercise ball seat wouldn't register on your Fitbit or other device as "steps", of course, unless your were bouncing about.
Add: Muscular individuals would have a higher "burn" at rest, and I just used those numbers as examples or guesses, not as hard & fast numbers, more just for demonstration.
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What does that ball do? ....one of my higher-ups has one of those in her office. If I sit on it, won't I roll around? Can I get my work done?
How does that help me move more?
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I do like to throw the idea of rescuing a dog from your local animal control or rescue organization out there as a way of improving your health in multiple ways and giving an animal the home he or she deserves. A nice walk with your new companion in the morning and evening will add a substantial number of steps to your daily activity!
I swear I don't mean to sound negative, but I think that most people, including well-meaning experts, fail to see the big picture:TIME.
There are millions of tips out there that can help one increase activity, from walking a dog to leaving 15 min earlier so you can park further and take the elevator (the key words bring 15 min earlier, in addition to many other minutes one must spare to come up with other "putter around" tricks throughout the day).
I do not think that people would not instinctively know about such trips/tricks.
Trouble is all of them cost TIME - and they fight against other urgent, mandatory yet sedentary task that MUST be done throughout the day, the biggest of which are work projects,then children, driving places, and acquiring information so you can navigate the traps of modern life from insurance, to law, education, health, finance, etc.
It seems to me we are increasingly advised to get in about as much level of activity as a farmer had 100 years ago (1 h of intense exercise and then find time to be in motion just about all day) - yet all of this is In Addition to the sedentary jobs and other commitments we have which the farmer didnt have. And it's not like the sedentary jobs are not exhausting.
Farmers job meant exercise and exercise meant his job.
We are now double and triple worked, perhaps more, if you include the exercise...even if much of our work is sedentary. People are Exhausted at the end of the day but Lord forbid should anyone start advocating a 4 hour working day. Never mind most of the modern day work is highly unnecessary "make-work" and the absolutely necessary could be done on 2 hours, not 8.
Until these macro-structural issues are addressed, most people with families and commitments and full-time jobs won't be able to keep up with increasingly unreasonable exercise regimens - as long as the social context remains "crazy-busy", long work hours, work overloads, etc.
Of course, people are told "if you don't want to make the effort, then just don't do it, it's on you - and you will just bust earlier".
This is probably another subtle population control method.
What bothers me, however, is the idea that such public health issue can be solved by individuals just making small little cute choices here and there. Most of the times, these choices are unrealistic - because Many of us can barely make it to that meeting in time when We dash out of our cars and then straight into the elevator, let alone when we would also walk 20 extra min for far away parking.
And no, I could not have left 20 min earlier because another urgent task was occupying that time slot then.
Workloads and workdays must change for people to lead healthier lives - until then it's just useless shaming and blaming.
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The exercise ball makes you wiggle a little to maintain your posture and your balance and you can't slump in your chair. It has worked wonders for my cousin's low back discomfort, core strength, and balance. She did it for her back but it has had other benefits as well, including some weight loss she attributes to it.
The reason I included this example, as well as the treadmill desk example, is simple: the two individuals in question have busy, demanding careers with long hours and family obligations immediately after work. So they wiggle and stroll at work. It's the only realistic time they have to putter. They traded a sedentary chair for an exercise ball and a treadmill. It might not work for you, only trying to help you think of something that won't take extra time.
We do live in a workaholic society. I wish for you a winning lottery ticket.
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I definitely agree that we were meant to live like peasants, on the move all the time. It's what our bodies are designed to do. So I walk every chance I get. I do Zumba steps while in the kitchen waiting for the tea kettle to heat up. When I am subbing I constantly walk around the classroom and the playground. We, too, park far away from the store, and we make the list in a scrambled order so that we have to zip all around the store. Additionally, I even remove clothes and walk them to the bedrooms one article at a time. Whatever it takes!
The down side is that my house is a wreck. Something had to give, so it was the housework. Yes, cleaning burns calories, but I am only willing to put in so much of my day for it when I need to get speedier movement, resistance work, stretching, and physical therapy exercises in. It's a trade-off that not everyone can live with, but it's the choice I made. If my family doesn't like it, they can feel free to pitch in more.
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10,000 steps is a good goal but you need to start where you are now. If you only get 1,000 steps right now then aim for 3,000.
I'm an at home parent. I got a pedometer and found out if I don't make an effort I can easily get less than 1,000 steps a day. 5,000-7,000 steps takes some effort if I am not leaving my house that day. It requires less efficiency in my chores. It requires purposefully walking briskly for 30 minutes to an hour. I don't get 10,000 steps most days. I do get more than I started out with though.1 -
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wisdomfromyou wrote: »So I finally got the memo about the proverbial 10,000 steps daily minimum.
I'm probably a Johnny come lately to the proverb - but better later than never.
I estimate that I get most of my steps during my hour of exercise. The rest of the day, the steps are not many - that I know for sure. I have never used a pedometer ( plan to get one)...but my question is:
given most people today have sedentary jobs, how is it even possible to squeeze in 10,000 steps a day? Even if I take the stairs when I go to work, even if i get some stuff done in the kitchen...the reality is that a good part of my day MUST be spent NOT taking steps, but reading, clicking and typing - or else, employer's work won't get done.
There simply is not enough time during the day left for "step taking". I also canot constantly interrupt my work to move around.
All of a sudden, an hour of exercise a day is no longer good enough - we need to be moving all the time like peasants did when they were trying to earn a living by working the land and the farm.
So who gets the 21st century jobs done?
Dear Lord, we are in trouble.
Any tips and advice appreciated.
I've never given a second thought to some magical number of steps...yes, I do things like park further away from my office building or the store, etc and take stairs and I'm generally not a sitter arounder outside of my desk job...but 10K steps is an arbitrary made up thing.
I just focus on doing various things to improve my NEAT where I can and focus on my actual training...I put far more emphasis on my actual training vs some magical number of steps. I've never and will never own a pedometer.2 -
wisdomfromyou wrote: »I do like to throw the idea of rescuing a dog from your local animal control or rescue organization out there as a way of improving your health in multiple ways and giving an animal the home he or she deserves. A nice walk with your new companion in the morning and evening will add a substantial number of steps to your daily activity!
I swear I don't mean to sound negative, but I think that most people, including well-meaning experts, fail to see the big picture:TIME.
There are millions of tips out there that can help one increase activity, from walking a dog to leaving 15 min earlier so you can park further and take the elevator (the key words bring 15 min earlier, in addition to many other minutes one must spare to come up with other "putter around" tricks throughout the day).
I do not think that people would not instinctively know about such trips/tricks.
Trouble is all of them cost TIME - and they fight against other urgent, mandatory yet sedentary task that MUST be done throughout the day, the biggest of which are work projects,then children, driving places, and acquiring information so you can navigate the traps of modern life from insurance, to law, education, health, finance, etc.
It seems to me we are increasingly advised to get in about as much level of activity as a farmer had 100 years ago (1 h of intense exercise and then find time to be in motion just about all day) - yet all of this is In Addition to the sedentary jobs and other commitments we have which the farmer didnt have. And it's not like the sedentary jobs are not exhausting.
Farmers job meant exercise and exercise meant his job.
We are now double and triple worked, perhaps more, if you include the exercise...even if much of our work is sedentary. People are Exhausted at the end of the day but Lord forbid should anyone start advocating a 4 hour working day. Never mind most of the modern day work is highly unnecessary "make-work" and the absolutely necessary could be done on 2 hours, not 8.
Until these macro-structural issues are addressed, most people with families and commitments and full-time jobs won't be able to keep up with increasingly unreasonable exercise regimens - as long as the social context remains "crazy-busy", long work hours, work overloads, etc.
Of course, people are told "if you don't want to make the effort, then just don't do it, it's on you - and you will just bust earlier".
This is probably another subtle population control method.
What bothers me, however, is the idea that such public health issue can be solved by individuals just making small little cute choices here and there. Most of the times, these choices are unrealistic - because Many of us can barely make it to that meeting in time when We dash out of our cars and then straight into the elevator, let alone when we would also walk 20 extra min for far away parking.
And no, I could not have left 20 min earlier because another urgent task was occupying that time slot then.
Workloads and workdays must change for people to lead healthier lives - until then it's just useless shaming and blaming.
I'm not sure if you are meaning to convey this in your posts but I keep getting this vibe that you feel that you are so much busier than others who manage to get in all these steps, that your job requires more concentration, that you have parental duties and personal commitments that prevent you from getting in the extra steps. No doubt you are busy and I too don't want to diminish how over worked and over scheduled our lives are today. But it can be done. I went from averaging less than 7k steps with a much more sedentary lifestyle to double that. I have children and busy activities and a stressful job that requires concentration.
Now that you've had the FitBit for a few days, how many steps have you been getting? Were you surprised?3 -
I found that I was getting 10,000+ steps without exercise simply because I get a bunch of steps on my commute (I will pace while waiting or get off a stop or two early, also), often have to walk for work-related reasons (going to a meeting at another office building or some such) and if not will walk around at lunch, do errands by foot on the way home, stuff like that. This is despite a job that is basically sedentary. I am more attentive to trying to stand when I can also, as I find it makes me feel better--I stand and read at a ledge often, vs. sitting at my desk. I also walk to and from the gym and bike to and from work (these are the days when I tend not to get 10,000 steps) or sometimes run to or from (did that twice last week--we have an exercise room in my office building with a shower).0
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WinoGelato wrote: »wisdomfromyou wrote: »I do like to throw the idea of rescuing a dog from your local animal control or rescue organization out there as a way of improving your health in multiple ways and giving an animal the home he or she deserves. A nice walk with your new companion in the morning and evening will add a substantial number of steps to your daily activity!
I swear I don't mean to sound negative, but I think that most people, including well-meaning experts, fail to see the big picture:TIME.
There are millions of tips out there that can help one increase activity, from walking a dog to leaving 15 min earlier so you can park further and take the elevator (the key words bring 15 min earlier, in addition to many other minutes one must spare to come up with other "putter around" tricks throughout the day).
I do not think that people would not instinctively know about such trips/tricks.
Trouble is all of them cost TIME - and they fight against other urgent, mandatory yet sedentary task that MUST be done throughout the day, the biggest of which are work projects,then children, driving places, and acquiring information so you can navigate the traps of modern life from insurance, to law, education, health, finance, etc.
It seems to me we are increasingly advised to get in about as much level of activity as a farmer had 100 years ago (1 h of intense exercise and then find time to be in motion just about all day) - yet all of this is In Addition to the sedentary jobs and other commitments we have which the farmer didnt have. And it's not like the sedentary jobs are not exhausting.
Farmers job meant exercise and exercise meant his job.
We are now double and triple worked, perhaps more, if you include the exercise...even if much of our work is sedentary. People are Exhausted at the end of the day but Lord forbid should anyone start advocating a 4 hour working day. Never mind most of the modern day work is highly unnecessary "make-work" and the absolutely necessary could be done on 2 hours, not 8.
Until these macro-structural issues are addressed, most people with families and commitments and full-time jobs won't be able to keep up with increasingly unreasonable exercise regimens - as long as the social context remains "crazy-busy", long work hours, work overloads, etc.
Of course, people are told "if you don't want to make the effort, then just don't do it, it's on you - and you will just bust earlier".
This is probably another subtle population control method.
What bothers me, however, is the idea that such public health issue can be solved by individuals just making small little cute choices here and there. Most of the times, these choices are unrealistic - because Many of us can barely make it to that meeting in time when We dash out of our cars and then straight into the elevator, let alone when we would also walk 20 extra min for far away parking.
And no, I could not have left 20 min earlier because another urgent task was occupying that time slot then.
Workloads and workdays must change for people to lead healthier lives - until then it's just useless shaming and blaming.
I'm not sure if you are meaning to convey this in your posts but I keep getting this vibe that you feel that you are so much busier than others who manage to get in all these steps, that your job requires more concentration, that you have parental duties and personal commitments that prevent you from getting in the extra steps. No doubt you are busy and I too don't want to diminish how over worked and over scheduled our lives are today. But it can be done. I went from averaging less than 7k steps with a much more sedentary lifestyle to double that. I have children and busy activities and a stressful job that requires concentration.
Now that you've had the FitBit for a few days, how many steps have you been getting? Were you surprised?
Yes, it CAN be done, but at then end of the day I feel exhausted and like a maniac, turning each one of my minutes into something purposeful , productive and exerting. To me, this means very poor quality of life. I don't know how busy other people are, I can only speak for myself, specifically. What I do know is that increasingly more people must stay extremely busy ( which often translates into frantic and anxious) to keep head above water and I also know there are people who are not even by far as busy as they would like to project. The latter will have enough time to squeeze in all the steps they need but they will also be the first to tell the hopelessly busy that they are just as busy as everyone else, yet they can manage.
The reality is not everyone is equally busy because not everyone has equally taxing jobs, similar incomes, similar families, equal ability to outsource tasks, or even equal energy. The proposition that everybody is equally busy is just plain inaccurate.
I only had my Fitbit for a day. I reached 13,600 steps - but this was a highly unusual day. At work I went up and down the stairs endless times for an epic print job which normally doesn't happen. It is also a relaxed time of the year when almost nobody's at the office and nothing is goin on...and I had enough time to park far away, etc.
Then I walked to gym, lifted weight, walked back. My body ached badly at the end of the day - and this was a highly non-stressful day - hence the time to putter around. Come August, this will be a thing of the past. No more time to putter around.
I took Fitbit back because I realized it makes me carry around EMF. I know I'm paranoid, this is on me, but it had to go back to the store.
I Will buy an old fashioned pedometer instead. As I see it though, the 10,000 steps won't be realistic with my normal schedule.
This is why asked about the ball. If that can give me extra movement while I work....but I don't see how, I will still be sitting, be it on a ball, right?
PS. Would like to clarify that I'm not using the word "busy" in a virtuous/sanctimonious sense.
Busy all the time because one has no other choice is a curse - not a virtue.
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wisdomfromyou wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »wisdomfromyou wrote: »I do like to throw the idea of rescuing a dog from your local animal control or rescue organization out there as a way of improving your health in multiple ways and giving an animal the home he or she deserves. A nice walk with your new companion in the morning and evening will add a substantial number of steps to your daily activity!
I swear I don't mean to sound negative, but I think that most people, including well-meaning experts, fail to see the big picture:TIME.
There are millions of tips out there that can help one increase activity, from walking a dog to leaving 15 min earlier so you can park further and take the elevator (the key words bring 15 min earlier, in addition to many other minutes one must spare to come up with other "putter around" tricks throughout the day).
I do not think that people would not instinctively know about such trips/tricks.
Trouble is all of them cost TIME - and they fight against other urgent, mandatory yet sedentary task that MUST be done throughout the day, the biggest of which are work projects,then children, driving places, and acquiring information so you can navigate the traps of modern life from insurance, to law, education, health, finance, etc.
It seems to me we are increasingly advised to get in about as much level of activity as a farmer had 100 years ago (1 h of intense exercise and then find time to be in motion just about all day) - yet all of this is In Addition to the sedentary jobs and other commitments we have which the farmer didnt have. And it's not like the sedentary jobs are not exhausting.
Farmers job meant exercise and exercise meant his job.
We are now double and triple worked, perhaps more, if you include the exercise...even if much of our work is sedentary. People are Exhausted at the end of the day but Lord forbid should anyone start advocating a 4 hour working day. Never mind most of the modern day work is highly unnecessary "make-work" and the absolutely necessary could be done on 2 hours, not 8.
Until these macro-structural issues are addressed, most people with families and commitments and full-time jobs won't be able to keep up with increasingly unreasonable exercise regimens - as long as the social context remains "crazy-busy", long work hours, work overloads, etc.
Of course, people are told "if you don't want to make the effort, then just don't do it, it's on you - and you will just bust earlier".
This is probably another subtle population control method.
What bothers me, however, is the idea that such public health issue can be solved by individuals just making small little cute choices here and there. Most of the times, these choices are unrealistic - because Many of us can barely make it to that meeting in time when We dash out of our cars and then straight into the elevator, let alone when we would also walk 20 extra min for far away parking.
And no, I could not have left 20 min earlier because another urgent task was occupying that time slot then.
Workloads and workdays must change for people to lead healthier lives - until then it's just useless shaming and blaming.
I'm not sure if you are meaning to convey this in your posts but I keep getting this vibe that you feel that you are so much busier than others who manage to get in all these steps, that your job requires more concentration, that you have parental duties and personal commitments that prevent you from getting in the extra steps. No doubt you are busy and I too don't want to diminish how over worked and over scheduled our lives are today. But it can be done. I went from averaging less than 7k steps with a much more sedentary lifestyle to double that. I have children and busy activities and a stressful job that requires concentration.
Now that you've had the FitBit for a few days, how many steps have you been getting? Were you surprised?
Yes, it CAN be done, but at then end of the day I feel exhausted and like a maniac, turning each one of my minutes into something purposeful , productive and exerting. To me, this means very poor quality of life. I don't know how busy other people are, I can only speak for myself, specifically. What I do know is that increasingly more people must stay extremely busy ( which often translates into frantic and anxious) to keep head above water and I also know there are people who are not even by far as busy as they would like to project. The latter will have enough time to squeeze in all the steps they need but they will also be the first to tell the hopelessly busy that they are just as busy as everyone else, yet they can manage.
The reality is not everyone is equally busy because not everyone has equally taxing jobs, similar incomes, similar families, equal ability to outsource tasks, or even equal energy. The proposition that everybody is equally busy is just plain inaccurate.
I only had my Fitbit for a day. I reached 13,600 steps - but this was a highly unusual day. At work I went up and down the stairs endless times for an epic print job which normally doesn't happen. It is also a relaxed time of the year when almost nobody's at the office and nothing is goin on...and I had enough time to park far away, etc.
Then I walked to gym, lifted weight, walked back. My body ached badly at the end of the day - and this was a highly non-stressful day - hence the time to putter around. Come August, this will be a thing of the past. No more time to putter around.
I took Fitbit back because I realized it makes me carry around EMF. I know I'm paranoid, this is on me, but it had to go back to the store.
I Will buy an old fashioned pedometer instead. As I see it though, the 10,000 steps won't be realistic with my normal schedule.
This is why asked about the ball. If that can give me extra movement while I work....but I don't see how, I will still be sitting, be it on a ball, right?
PS. Would like to clarify that I'm not using the word "busy" in a virtuous/sanctimonious sense.
Busy all the time because one has no other choice is a curse - not a virtue.
Ok. It's still coming through. You think those of us who get our steps in while balancing work and family are either frantic and anxious with poor quality of life or we are pretending to be busier than we actually are. Got it.
I think the stability balls are to strengthen your core while working, not to get extra movement in.
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I do like to throw the idea of rescuing a dog from your local animal control or rescue organization out there as a way of improving your health in multiple ways and giving an animal the home he or she deserves. A nice walk with your new companion in the morning and evening will add a substantial number of steps to your daily activity!
I just wanted to quote this. When you have a dog you have NO choice but to walk them every single day, it is the unwritten law of dog ownership, and i'm not talking about a 5-10 minute stroll around the block.
On the other hand, be brutally honest before getting a dog, don't promise to walk them everyday and then slack off after a week and leave them to go mental and bored in the backyard everyday..1 -
wisdomfromyou wrote: »I swear I don't mean to sound negative, but I think that most people, including well-meaning experts, fail to see the big picture:TIME.
Unfortunately, the big sweeping societal changes you deem necessary are not likely to happen overnight to solve your immediate problem. Small adjustments, cute or not, are probably the most realistic way most of us incorporate more activity into our lifestyles.
In order to be successful long term, you must be able to identify and find ways to overcome obstacles. Everyone is in a different place in their lives, and sometimes people just aren't ready to do what it takes to achieve long term success. The big picture here is the rest of your life and the level of health you wish to attain and enjoy during that lifetime. The rest is just the trees.
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I wish we had a European style living situation with shorter work hours, paid vacations, paid medical, and all of that. It would go along nicely with helping people find time in their lives for self-improvement and enjoyment of all kinds. Until then, I squeeze in what I can and my house remains a mess. 1
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