Light Bulb Moment

I recently read an article written by Harley Pasternak—trainer to the stars—that kind of made me stop and say “I get it!”  The article basically said that if you’re working out and not losing weight, there is a reason.  He wrote that 45 minutes of activity at the gym is not enough to make up for 23 hours and 15 minutes of lying and sitting around. 

For some reason, a light bulb went off in my head and I finally got why magazines and trainers and the like encourage you to get a pedometer and track your steps.   Maybe it was the way Harley outlined the reasons that I finally understood it.  I am one of those people who think that because I work out, I’m going to lose weight and can watch TV all night.

According to Livestrong.com, an individual should walk at least 5,000 steps a day (anything less is considered sedentary and inactive). Someone who walks 10,000 steps can burn up to an extra 3,500 calories a week—the equivalent of one pound.  According to this article, the surgeon general recommends taking 10,000 steps a day.

So I got a pedometer.  How hard could it be, I thought. I consider myself an active person so I assumed I was at least around the recommended steps per day.

I was wrong.

My walks to and from the train and home and work help boost my steps, but only to about 2,500 total for the day. So I needed to figure out how I was going to fill the rest.

-I started pacing around the L platform while waiting for the train to squeeze in some extra steps instead of just standing there.

-The walk from my desk to the bathroom is 100 steps, so I started drinking more water so I would have to get up and use the bathroom more.

-I started walked down to the cafeteria to fill my water bottle instead of filling it at the bubbler ten steps from my desk.  It probably adds at least 300 steps there.

-I have forced myself to take a break at work and walk outside at least once a day—whether it be for lunch or an afternoon stroll. 

-I used to allow myself to take the bus or L to a place if it was more than two stops away. Last week I walked everywhere, like when I went grocery shopping and met a friend for brunch.

All of these things I have done to increase my steps have also added to my quality of life. They’re also things I should already be doing, but somehow I have allowed myself to just get lazy.  I never considered myself a lazy person until I discovered that I was barely reaching the minimum amount of steps required each day.   I usually walk to run errands and take public transportation, so I can’t imagine how people who drive everywhere must be doing with this.

There has been only one day when I have gotten over 10,000 steps, but I am making it my goal to try as hard as I can to get there at least a couple times a week.  Fitting in that many steps is hard!  I’ve turned it into a game, and love to see the numbers go up as I walk.  I am a very goal-oriented person, so when I have a number I need to hit, I operate better.  

Once I get better at increasing my steps, I’m going to treat myself to a Fitbit pedometer (they’re pretty pricey but very intuitive) as a reward—right now I have a $19 one I got on Amazon (they have cheaper ones as well).  Something else for me to work for, and a reward that isn’t food related!

I encourage you all to get a pedometer and start tracking your steps to see how you’re doing. Or at least read Harley’s article to see why you should if I haven’t convinced you!