To further demonstrate the walking meditation technique which Pedals and Pedometer Steps uses, I have taken photos at different points in a walk to illustrate some of my thinking at these times.
Intentionally setting out to quiet and uplift my mind I take an existing route so finding my way is not a distraction. I wear my pedometer as counting pedometer steps is a major part of my goal.
Setting out
I look around for cars and then focus on the general scenery.
Looking Around
Thinks: This looks like a nice path. Nice and quiet.
Tree Trunk
Thinks: Interesting tree trunk.
Walking Meditation
Now my thinking is unconscious as I admire the beauty of the scene, how pleasing it is here and lovely to walk around as the temperature is perfect, the birds are chirping, the water looks inviting and peaceful.
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.
As much walking as I can do without having it taking over my life is 15,000 pedometer steps daily. So it is sensible to look at alternatives which will keep me interested and the walking for weight loss effective. Certainly there are those who enjoy, or from necessity, do more than this number of pedometer steps in an average day, but I have used the pedometer steps method long enough to know my personal enjoyment limit.
It is from a perspective of satisfaction with my walking to lose weight that I have recently decided to add a month of weekly 30 minute trainer sessions at the gym. My thoughts are a little different from those who take on a ‘do or die’ effort a la The Biggest Loser or bootcamp style classes. On the one hand my weight loss is such that I am nearing a satisfying size (I rely on the way my clothes fit rather than what the scales show) and my change in attitude and lifestyle inspires me to keep involved in pedometer steps counting and walking for weight balance. The other side of this is that I would like to set myself up for successful transition into a full time business commitment. The many benefits from walking are so pertinent to success in business that I am including it as a major business tool. Balance that with the desire to short cut into the final phase of weight management and you can see where I am-adding some hoped for short cuts for the next 4 weeks to act as a springboard into a new lifestyle which continues to include pedometer steps and walking to lose weight.
Pedals and Pedometer Steps blog has been, and continues to be, a joy for me. My involvement in all thing Internet has been essential to the strategy behind walking for weight loss. It is a way of keeping me committed. As with setting up a home business, taking on an active lifestyle (10,000+ pedometer steps daily) requires a transition time and process, a lot of which is finding what doesn’t work. Once that’s done however it is time to implement what does work. I am finding the satisfaction in that! I am looking forward to this new phase also.
Making life changes takes preparation. Don’t be discouraged by the times of treading water as these times are followed by wonderful surges forward.
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.
As January ends the pedometer steps newbies are having differing issues which affect their abiities to keep on track. Not to say that there hasn’t been great success. One man has lost 4 kilos (8.8 lbs) and is ranging from 5,000 to 17,000 steps a day. The significant difference in those numbers relates to the vagaries of back to work behaviour.
Another pedometer steps starter has just found the delight that comes from having a ’special’ day, one where the normal range of 3,000 to 8,000 was unexpectedly broken with a landmark 11,000 step day!
These deserve celebration! The object of walking for weight loss is to make those significant days, where results peak over the 10,000 pedometer steps in one day, the norm.
Extras Tips:
Sometimes the pedometer will record extra steps if an activity is jerky. For instance, if you are dancing and moving your arms vigorously, this may make a double action which increases the steps recorded. Should you have a day where the steps seem out of proportion to the amount of exercise you did think back to what sort of activity may have made the difference. The reverse is also likely where substantial exercise is under reported by your pedometer.
Another benefit of keeping track of the daily pedometer steps total is to note the types and length of activity to give yourself an idea of what contributes most to the number of pedometer steps recorded.
You will learn that a 9,000 step day with a weights session is a lot better than a 9,000 step day without the weights class, etc.
If during non-working days of the paid variety you find it difficult to generate steps within the work day, you can add dedicated walks designed to get the pedometer steps up on those days e.g. before, after work or at lunch hour.
An alternative is to use the averaging process and track each day’s steps but look for an average of 10,000 plus. This might mean that for 5 days at work steps are slow, maybe around the 7,000 mark, but over the 2 day weekend with a hike or long walk, or extra activity just from household chores and a social life you are able to generate enough extra steps to make up for the poor week day showing.
Just returned from a most refreshing break which featured pedometer steps quite a bit!
Whether new or not to using pedometer steps as a major walking for weight loss strategy there are always different hints and tips to try.
1. Should you have physical limitations such as neck or back injuries, use a pedometer to ascertain the amount of activity possible without aggravating sore parts. If weight loss is also a goal see if gradually increasing the pedometer steps with careful monitoring will let you stretch your exercise comfort level.
2. If your pedometer which has been working consistently starts behaving erratically- data fluctuating for no reason etc. try changing the battery.
3. Encourage others to ask you how your pedometer steps are going at various times during the day. You will be amazed at how this information will help you coordinate your activities to get the pedometer steps’ total you want for the day.
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...
