Have you considered combining two of the world’s most popular forms of stress relief- walking and meditation?
As you’re reading Pedals and Pedometer Steps your main interest in walking may be for fitness and weight loss. Also as you’ve developed your regular walking you may well have noticed yourself feeling better generally.
If you are having difficulty fitting everything into your life and you meditate you can have the best of both world’s with a walking meditation. The video below demonstrates the sort of attention one needs to pay to details.
A major part of my pedometer steps progress has come from combining the activities necessary to get the steps’ target and also to act as a release valve for stress and frustration.
Walking in itself is a wonderful way to divert the mind of frustration and release a feeling of well being. Each step enables us to concentrate on where we are physically, noticing details of our surroundings in positive ways.
The major difference between a Pedometer Steps’ Meditation and the Zen version above is that you will have your pedometer strapped on and be walking with intention to exercise your body at the same time as you rest your mind.
Averaging pedometer steps is a great way to balance the effects of different activity levels between your days. For instance if you work in a sedentary role these days may lead to a low pedometer steps total whereas your non-working activity level may lead to high step counts.
One walker I know, found extreme differences in the steps recorded between days at work depending upon the tasks for those days. Days with a lot of sitting led to 3,000 steps where other days performing a standard task which required physical movement could lead to 17,000 steps.
This happens often and is the reason that recording and averaging over several days is the best method for most people to effectively use pedometer walking.
Aiming generally for the daily 10,000+ steps most walking for weight loss programs recommend, will move your activity for that day to the active level. It usually also leads to weight loss.
Starting out you will need to wear a pedometer while pursuing your daily tasks normally. Having established a baseline for your activity this way, it becomes easy to set a pedometer steps target to progressivley move you closer to the 10,000 pedometer steps ideal.
Sometimes though becoming aware of exactly how little some days’ pedometer steps total, is discouraging even to the point of giving up.
Giving up is not the answer.
This is how using an average of daily pedometer steps based on a suitable time period ( weekly or 5 days, for instance) allows you to do what you can on inactive days and put as much extra walking into those days which lend themselves to activity.
Finding your starting point is important and allows you to increase your target steps on a doable basis.
As an example:
If your initial average daily pedometer steps is 3,000 then increasing it by 500 steps for the next period requires only 5 minutes extra walking a day. Generally if possible start by doing 20 minutes of additional walking each day which will add around 2,000 steps at the recommended walking rate of 3,000 steps in 30 minutes. Once you have successfully added 20 minutes walking once a day, add another 20 minute daily walk if possible.
The result here is going from a base level of 3,000 pedometer steps to 5,000 steps to 7,000 steps.
Averaging:
Assume that you as a new walker who has a full time job and household/family commitments have managed to add one walk 3 times during the week, and sometimes an hour’s walk on the weekend. A normal weekend day is generally busy and you do around 6,000 steps.
The results for pedometer steps is:
3 days of 5,000 steps (includes a 20 minute walk); 2 work days unaltered of 3,000 steps; 1 weekend day including a one hour walk of 12,000 steps; 1 weekend day of 6,000 steps. Total: 39,000 steps.
Average Daily Steps: 5,571
Setting Target:
As a general rule add 10% to your previous steps daily average. In this case, this would be 6,128 and you might like to round it up and make it 6,200. By adding 629 additional daily steps- this is approximately 6.5 minutes of extra pedometer walking- and the new target is easily met.
Possible Scedule:
Every day this next week you will need to add a 5 minute walk (3 days- 2 at work and 1 on the weekend), walk for 25 minutes (3 work days) and for 65 minutes (1 weekend day).
Or some variation of the above.
Averaging pedometer steps is a great way to deal with varying results over different days.
This awesome pedometer steps walker used Youtube to show just how determined she needs to be to get her pedometer steps target despite the weather. Maybe you too would find motivation in recording your cold weather methods for getting those pedometer steps going despite the howling wind and the snow.
The development of pedometer walking and its concurrent emphasis on daily exercise, is a major breakthrough to success for weight loss walkers.
It has been an evolutionary process for those of us who are pedometer walking for weight loss regularly. The myth is of an active life when living a modern “fast paced” lifestyle which is generally of longer duration and fuller than previous generations’ lifestyles.
Pedometer steps counting enables some perspective on this ‘activity’. How many pedometer steps do you average daily over one week of normal activity? Do you fall into the average 5,000 to 6,000 pedometer steps daily or are you genuinely active during the day and night and do a minimum of 8,000 steps a day?
After a lifetime of finding ways to decrease my activity levels I have reversed this mental direction and now I find ways to increase my physical activity. Pedometer steps is a great way to do this and many people I know have found the simple act of strapping a pedometer on and finding their ‘real’ activity, enough to motivate them to more pedometer steps.
I like to keep my emphasis on exercise when discussing weight loss, and within that category, have chosen pedometer steps as a means of achieving healthy activity every day.
In itself this combination of mental commitment-keeping track of the pedometer steps-as well as physical doing of the exercise helps in two ways:
It normalizes activity.
It helps distract me from using eating as a hobby.
Depending on where someone starts i.e. their level of activity, it may take some time, but eventually using a pedometer all the time, becomes a way of structuring your day.
The major element in this weight loss approach is increased body movement throughout the day. The easiest way for most of us is to walk or do other similar activity.
Food becomes secondary-in both ways. Pedometer steps counting should be combined with a sensible calorie counting “diet”, gradual reduction of excesses such as full sugar sodas, and with a de-emphasis on eating in your day.
There are other methods of food reduction such as eating half the food on your plate and the Japanese recommendation to stop eating when 80% full, etc. Some more are mentioned here: Top 5 Healthiest Diets in America
When a goal of 10,000+ steps is actively pursued throughout the day by adding steps into your lifestyle whether at work or play, it means more time in activity and less time for thinking about or actually doing, eating.
In other words, an active person (which you are now) can only achieve the steps total required by walking (gardening, cleaning, dancing) most of the day. This is not dedicated walking which can achieve the target in a few hours but using the pedometer steps as a guideline of how to get more of the daily tasks done and get your body moving as well.
The gym or walking for exercise is also a great way to go. It can make the 10,000+ daily steps achievable in an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. It can rescue a day which has fallen behind on its steps total. It may be that it fits your lifestyle better- sometimes or all the time.
The key here is to control your diet during the times you have free for eating. The concentrated calorie burning can create more time for calorie consumption, and even a reward mentality. Spreading exercise over your total week offers its own rewards in increased achievement, more fun and a better fit with your lifestyle.
I love this time of year for pedometer walking for weight loss. If you are on one of these programs this is a lucky time of year. Just take the focus from food and put it where it needs to be -doing the Christmas activities of your choice by moving your feet!
You can really enjoy the advantages of using a pedometer to count pedometer steps, now. If going for a regular walk is too difficult there is no reason not to walk the malls and do lots of movement around the home and on the social whirl that Christmas can be.
The beauty of counting pedometer steps is that most physical activity counts on that little gadget and it is so easy to add steps into your normal day as long as you have that mind set.
Even though weight loss may be too much to expect during the festive season (although still entirely possible!) weight maintenance is a great goal to set. This requires keeping your pedometer steps as high as you can doing what you would be normally doing, and moderating your eating. In other words find any excuse within the list of activities you would like to do, or have to do, which can add to the total pedometer steps- make a game of it!
Make the time to dance (a lot) at that party, prepare and clean up after a Christmas lunch, help buy all the presents and walk that mall! Hand deliver Christmas cards where possible. Put up Christmas decorations. It’s crazy how easy this is right now. Do a house clean for Christmas. Offer to do some of the family chores. Go Christmas carrolling. Part of this process is to do pedometer walking but also a part is to distract you form eating!
Deck the halls at the local hall or church. Volunteer to help at Christmas functions. Hand make Christmas or New Year cards.
Put a little effort this Christmas/New Year into making it a win/win for fun and pedometer walking.
Pedometer Steps is an exercise style which is flexible enough to integrate into your life rather than add it on as an extra. Small hand weights fit in very well as they are suitable to carry while walking, holding one in each hand and bending your arm at the elbow, swinging the opposing leg and arm. Try them out first to see that they’re comfortable but it should be no problem since you are walking short distances. This would introduce light weights into your pedometer steps program and increase the exercise benefit of walking for weight loss.
Weight training has been of most benefit after the initial walking phase for me. Like most things the two together is much better than one alone on an ongoing basis but starting usually requires a step at a time (excuse the pun). I also found that some small problems when I started walking directly benefit from weights or specific exercises.
So if, for example, stepping up strains something then building the appropriate muscle will solve that very quickly.
My suggestions:
1. Use small weights when walking to build your upper body muscles.
2. Write down the niggles or worries that may affect your future walking, pedometer steps or weight training.
The purpose of this last is to work through and resolve the issues which might stop you progressing.
If you wish you may use this blog to record your progress. Simply record your issues and progress in the comment section.
How to get your pedometer steps up for the day! If it was on my normal route to work then I could learn to play a song. If I look for fun it often comes my way.
The advantages of making walking fun are enormous. I’ve followed this principle for a long time. Yes there are times when discipline and acceptance that you just have to do it are the motivating factors in getting those daily pedometer steps but most of the time I try to make it a game. I love walking as well but the pedometer adds that fun element.
I plan to live a long life. I plan to be active. I am excited about the life opportunities still to come for me.
Yet I’ve lived the weight loss yo-yo and lack of exercise roller coaster enough to know that somethings needed to change for my vision to come fully true.
Redoing my approach to life in incremental ways allows me to have fun, because I’m now building that in, and enjoy the walking for weight loss process at the same time. Pedometer walking and occasionally running, cycling which is new for me, gym classes and social walks make for a lifestyle which has become sustainable.
Having control over your weight is similar to managing your financial affairs: calories used minus calories eaten must leave an energy deficit which is to be “financed” from fat deposits. Pedometer steps are “money” in the bank, calories eaten are withdrawals. If you take a large withdrawal you need to replace the “money” i.e. calories expended.
If you are going to make counting pedometer steps a way of life then you have to apply the usual sort of discipline to it that other important but mundane area of your life (such as cleaning your teeth) attract.
Let me remind you why you might want to make pedometer steps a ritual process:
regular exercise such as walking for weight loss is a standard requirement for modern life when movement is not the natural process it was originally as in pre-technology days;
one way, and the easiest for many, is to simply put on a pedometer every morning and check it regularly throughout the day, to ensure that the target you have set will be met;
take action i.e. walk more, if the target pedometer steps have somehow got away from you;
don’t go to bed until those steps have been met.
Just as with teeth cleaning there are other more occasional procedures such as dentist visiting and flossing etc. but all of them are secondary to the fundamental teeth cleaning.
Having made the decision then do everything you can to ensure it’s success as a weight control method.
Even after extensive use of a pedometer to track my pedometer steps during normal days I still find it more motivating to wear and use one then go without.
Over time you do need to do more than strap on a pedometer but while those pedometer steps are keeping you on track then the extra activities such as weights or yoga can be fine tuning the results you are achieving.
And you definitely achieve results which are pleasing other than weight loss. I want to find another phrase to denote the modern meaning of what was once simple weight loss but now means so much more- healthy, functioning, streamlined, good looking bodies; and in fact may be less about weight loss and more about trimming, strengthening and toning.
Start Walking, Get Running, and Lose Weightis filled with common sense strategies for managing the food you eat and simple but very effective exercise plans that ease you into shape.
A Proven Walking or Running Plan For All Ages and Experience Levels...
