And that’s just what they’ll do…
A long, long, long time ago, in Eric Years anyhow, I was diagnosed with Diabetes… this was back in April of 2005. I remember the day. It was “Donut Day” at work and I’d just had about my 20th donut (slight exaggeration for hyperbolic effect) when I started having chest pains. I’ve been no stranger to chest pains since 1999, but these seemed just a little worse than usual. So, a friend drove me to the hospital. My heart, as is always the case, was fine, but the doctors suggested I see my personal physician about getting checked for diabetes. And that is enough of THAT story… I serve it up here for the sole purpose of setting up what follows!
One of the recommendations that came about as a result of “Diabetes Awareness Classes” that my MD sent me to was the importance of losing weight, and getting good exercise. It was at this class that I was introduced to the “10,000 Step Program”. I say that as if there is but one such program… there isn’t. Google “10000 Step Program” and you’ll see that everyone has one.
The concept is simple really… anything is better than sitting around watching TV. So, go buy yourself a cheap little pedometer, and clip it to your belt. You can find them for as little as $5.00. Put it on each morning, and each night before you go to bed record the number of steps you took that day. At the end of the first week, take all those steps and get an average. (So, look at this little table for an example of how to get an average:)
| Sunday | 3215 | ||
| Monday | 2976 | ||
| Tuesday | 3043 | ||
| Wednesday | 3427 | ||
| Thursday | 1233 | ||
| Friday | 1034 | ||
| Saturday | 3340 | ||
| Total | 18268 | Divide by 7: | 2609 |
First of all, the individual walking those steps is NOT a couch potato. But he’s close to one! Assuming you have a 2.5 foot pace (the distance between the toe of your right foot and the heel of your left foot when both are on the ground while walking) then 2112 paces, or steps, is equal to 1 mile. For the purpose of the 10k step program, we say 2000 steps is 1 mile… and therefore 10000 steps is 5 miles.
Okay, then, take that 2,609 average step and round it up to the nearest 500, in this case, 3000 steps. This is your goal. Each day during week 2, try to walk at least 3000 steps EVERY DAY… no averages this time.
The next week, add 500 steps (3,500) and that is your target goal for that week.
If you’re really out of shape, not in to walking, then set milder goals… or strive for a single goal for a longer period. You might, if you are the guy that walked those sample steps up there in my table, set a goal of 3000 steps per day for a whole month, and then move up to 3500 for the next month.
Back to my story. In 2005, I began the 10000 step program, and my average steps weren’t too far off those of the sample I just cited. On the day I was diagnosed with diabetes, I weighed in at 249 pounds. I set my goals low, and for a month at a time. My goal was to get to 5000 steps by end of summer. I found the more I walked the more I WANTED to walk. And soon, I was a walking fool! By mid-October, I was at 10000 steps a day, I was down to 200 pounds and things were going good. (By the way, it wasn’t ONLY exercise that brought the weight down)
And then the midwest winter hit. So I bought a treadmill. Then “Treadmill Boredom” hit. And from there on, my steps started going downhill. I quit walking, for a bunch of reasons, and I really don’t remember most of them! By 2009, I was back to being almost but not quite a couch potato. My weight had crawled back to about 240. I joined weight watchers, my weight dropped but I didn’t exercise more. I dropped back to 220. I got laid off, I quit Weight Watchers, I exercised a little more, and managed for the next year to keep my weight in the low 220s.
Just a note on the diabetes here. It’s under great control, even when I eat foolishly. My high numbers really don’t get in to dangerous territory… they approach, but they don’t make it. On a high day my level 2 hours after eating is under 150, generally around 145. High, but not dangerous.
Walking, walking… yes, back to topic. In March I got a job in Downtown Omaha. Scott and I carpool… which means he drives me to 19th and Dodge and drops me off. I then walk the 4 blocks to my office. At lunch, to find food, I have to walk… there’s lots of good food in downtown Omaha and a walk can be anywhere from 1 block to 10.
After work… I get out of work at 4:30. This is a mandated EOD for me. Due to contracts and unions and such and the fact I’m a contractor for 2 more months, I am not allowed overtime. And while I’m fine working an hour or two overtime every day with out reporting it… that’s a big no no… so I have to leave at 4:30… or the 8 hour mark. (That’s why I’m writing this at noon on a Wednesday. I worked 6 hours last Sunday, and 4 hours 2 Sundays before that, so I had to take a day off to get caught up!) Scott gets off work at 5, and takes 25 minutes to get down town. What to do?
I walk! I’m back to participating in the 10000 Step Program. I set a goal of 5000 steps a day for April. In May, I’ll up that to either 6000 or 6500 steps a day. That shouldn’t be too hard, as I’m close to that for April… and just yesterday I put in 10,075 steps! I’m loving it!
So there you are. That’s what’s going on in my life.
Now, here’s my challenge to you all! Who wants to join me for a “Community Challenge”? The idea is, as many people as email me or make a comment (it has to be approved by me, which means I have to know who you are) I’ll take that number, and we’ll set an arbitrary “Community Steps” count… say, if 10 people sign up, we’ll set a target of 500,000 paces by September 1. Everyone will email me their daily steps either daily or weekly. I’ll put a Cumulative Step Count up here on my blog every Sunday or something. And we’ll see how it goes! I’ll spend some time today refining this idea and post more if I get any takers. How’s that sound?
If you’d like, email me and I’ll try to help you set up a “plan of action” for the purpose of this challenge.
I bet I can walk farther than YOU can!
We’ll set up a prize or something. What d’ya say?
Man.. these boots are gonna walk all over YOU!
On The Road II 