Apparently, I am not capable of counting more than one thing at once. You probably aren't either. QUICK! Count the keys on the piano while counting the kids in your daughter's class. Can't do it, can you? But that's all too literal. I just wanted to count calories and count the number of steps I took each day. And the step counting part didn't involve my fingers and an abacus; it just involved a pedometer. I'm pretty good at remembering to clip it to my waistband each morning. But apparently the counting energy, or the counting brain cells, or whatever bit of me is supposed to be responsible for keeping track of some number of things in my life cannot possibly both remember to attach the pedometer AND muster the energy to log onto my-calorie-counter dot com and enter the day's food intake.
So I'm giving up on the calories part. I've been counting them since January 1. I currently weigh 7.2 pounds less than I did on New Year's Day. I still have a few more to lose, but I think I've figured out the whole stop eating the kids' leftovers thing and the candy isn't a meal thing and the my 200+ pound husband should eat more than me, so why am I so anxious that he got more of that tasty chicken dish than I did (gimme' some back, it's MINE) thing... I get that I need to hover in the 1400 calorie range to lose weight gradually; I'm pretty good now at stopping the eating when I'm not longer hungry. -gasp!- What a concept! I have a decent sense of what I can eat and stay within my range. And, frankly, counting calories is a really boring way to spend 20 minutes. So as long as I continue to lay off the chocolate bars and refrain from eating thirds at Mexican restaurants, I think I can keep up my good habits.
And I'm turning my attention now to steps. Which is a baby step (ha ha) on the way to actual exercise of a kind that results in sweat and sports bras. Don't worry, I'm taking this nice and slow. So I've been tracking my steps for the last eight days, and here are the stats. Not too exciting, I know, but there's a point to all this, so quickly skim your eyes past these numbers, and move on...: 3609, 3451, 4478, 2588, 2970, 2187, 4164, 3825, 3600. The average of these number is 3430. Their standard deviation is... just kidding. Are your eyebrows raised? Just wondered if you were still with me.
Anyway. (By the way, that pedometer over there totally rocks the house for accuracy and all the stuff you want it to do, and if you want one you can buy it here. I'm not related to their company in any way, just a fan. Though I can't swear it can actually count to 10,258, as you'll see below.) More to the point, here's the thing about my stats.
A few days ago I did seven loads of laundry, including folding them and shuttling them around the house to put them all away. I tidied the downstairs of the house. I vacuumed the whole place. I thoroughly cleaned the kitchen and put away loads of clean dishes. I played with the kids all day long (admittedly this did involve sitting and reading books for a while). I did not have time to blog. I had, in short, a pretty active day. Know how many steps I logged? 4,478.
Know how many steps the professionals (professional whats? you might ask. I don’t know) recommend logging daily? 10,000! Based on the other day, I can safely say that I would only log 10,000 steps per day if I were a kindergarten teacher, a doctor on rounds at a hospital, a construction worker, or an aerobics instructor. I am none of these things. If you’re reading this blog, I’m guessing you aren’t either.
So how am I supposed to set a reasonable step-walking goal for myself?
Creative accounting did come to mind. Do steps logged while carrying something count as more than one step? For example: one load of laundry = about 20 pounds. Perhaps that’s really 1.5 steps per step. One toddler = 31 pounds. Perhaps that’s really 2 steps per step. But then, how do I program the pedometer to track that? And how do I push the button to shift to the other step counting mode when my hands are full of 20 pounds of laundry and a toddler?
Or am I supposed to walk for three miles after the kids are asleep to get up to 10,000 steps? If so, how many laps of my house kitchen-dining room-living room-hall-kitchen make a mile, if one lap is 60 steps? (Because it’s dark here, and 11 degrees after 8:30pm, so I’m not really doing that walking outdoors.) Actually, I'm such a dork that I did that math. It's 44 laps. So three miles is 132 laps. So here's what I want to know: how in the world do normal people with day jobs and kids to chase after log 10,000 steps per day? Seriously. And, secondly, if I die of boredom from walking those laps past my kitchen counters every night, will I at least die healthier from having walked so much?
10 comments:
Based on your logic (which, by the way, is FINE logic) I get to burn33% more calories than you just by virtue of having 3 children. I like that. Unfortunately, since I didn't manage to lose a SINGLE POUND during the food poisoning vomit fest OR a week of super-high flu-fever starvation, I think it's unlikely that hauling my kids around is going to make a difference to my waistline. -sigh- It just doesn't seem fair, does it?
Actually, there is no research to substantiate the 10,000 being an "optimal" amount. It was the Japanese, apparently who came up with the number, probably more because it's nice and round. So, not that it's a bad thing to get more than your usual amount of exercise, but there's nothing strictly magical about 10,000 steps.
I seem to remember from Grade 11 physics that Work = mass x distance, so you're definitely scientifically doing more work when you do the stairs with laundry. :)
I wore a pedometer for a little while, but it was a cheap thing that definitely wasn't counting all the steps I took. I reached 10,000 once - I had to run up and down the stairs about 70 times to hit it, though! But at least I was able to say I did it... once.
Most importantly, standard deviation is 735. Now you know and can rest easy.
I have been eating way less and exercising way more than I did at the end of last year. And I haven't lost a thing. So here's what I'm going to do. I'll wear a pedometer for a week. I'll also count calories for a week. Then for the following week, I'll try increasing my steps and decreasing my calories. Then at the end of these 2 weeks, I'll be so depressed at yet again not losing any weight that I will throw my pedometer to the floor and crush it under one of my fat feet and then follow it up with a half gallon of something from Ben and Jerrys.
Then I'll follow it up with a doctors appt where she says "no, nothing is actually wrong with you - you're just a heifer". Then I will go on a killing spree in the waiting room and be committed. Then I'll have plenty of time to workout and buff up with my new cellblock friends.
Fawn, re the cheap pedometers: I started with one of those. When I got to the end of the day and was at 1600 steps, I thought something might be wrong. So I took 100 steps and checked the pedometer: 51. I took 100 more and checked again: 68. The next day I returned it and got the one I have now. I took 61 steps to check it out: 61. Ahh...much better. Thanks for relieving my mind about the 10000 steps.
OMG, I'm snorting I'm laughing so hard, MIQ!!! I don't know if the "fat feet" or the doctor's comment, or the cellblock got me more. Damn you're funny.
I am really sorry that you're so frustrated right now. And I really will do all I can to help.
But, seriously, you are freaking FUNNY, girl! You should do stand up or something. Maybe a stand up act where you say really funny things in between calculating standard deviations? Which I'm very grateful to have, by the way. And I'm sure the audience would be too... hmmmm... I see a future here... let's talk...
lots of hugs and snorts from over here
I, of course, have a lot of opinions on the topic. First of all your recommendation of a pedometer is right one (the brand). My colleague who does exercise studies that encourages people to take more steps uses the exact pedometer due to its accuracy.
The point of the 10,000 steps is that you can NOT achieve 10k w/i your activities of daily living (to use the technical term). It's not possible. The point is, that you do need to walk about 3 miles a day to achieve it. Now I am not so sure about the research on 10k, but i do think that my colleague (who studies this for a living) definitely recommends it.
Can i say the world treadmill?? It's the best way to achieve this. It has changed our life...
What my goal typically is when i wear it is 50k/wk. Getting 10k a day is very difficult. But if you exercise 5 days a week, you should reach 50k.
I have to concur with Ang. I have the same pedometer but haven't been using it right now since it is SO true that one can only count one thing at a time. Right now that is protein grams and that is all I can handle. But I'm pretty active in my regular day and I could not reach 10,000 a day without also doing my treadmill workout as well.
Bring spring on!... bring it on! I'm looking forward to some serious stroller walks!
Mrs F -- I hear you on the Spring thing! This would be so much easier if I could get outside. I don't think sliding down the street on my behind gets my steps up, though, and we're all ice here. And, btw, glad to know that I'm not the only one who can only count one thing at a time.
Ang, thanks so much for the great input. It's reassuring to know I'm not crazy. Though, seriously, 5 days a week?! You know you're superwoman, right? And you're talking to a mere mortal here. While I like the treadmill idea, I think I'd rather invest in refinishing the basement first. Otherwise the treadmill (which would have no other place to live) will simply become an extremely expensive Christmas decoration storage system. :) But then, perhaps... oh. wait. Then, perhaps I could start using the elliptical trainer we already have! Yes, more exercise need to be in my future...
I'm seriously considering clicking that pedometer link, but I have to know first: will it record low numbers, like, say, three digits? Or maybe two? Because I am rather a slug these days.
Foolery, it's the greatest pedometer ever. And it totally doesn't judge you at all. Also, even as a "slug," you log more steps than you think. So it's worth it. It tells you total miles for the day, calories, steps, and even has an alternate setting for faster exercise with a longer stride. I hear this setting is great too. I've personally never needed to use it. :)
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