"A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Step"

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)

On March 11, Bob and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We exchanged cards and gifts. He handed me an expensive jeweler's box and when I saw the lovely gold bracelet inside, I ohhh'ed and ahhh'ed and thanked him profusely, as I immediately put it on my wrist. BUT when I opened the next gift - a Sportline Pedometer - I lept from my seat and screamed - OH MY GOSH, I LOVE IT! IT'S JUST WHAT I WANTED!! Bob burst into laughter. He said, I can't wait until the Pray it Off group hears this story.

I strap my pedometer on like a gunslinger each morning. No matter what happens to me in a day, if I hit my 10,000 step goal I feel like I have achieved something important. I encourage any one who is on a, healthy way of life, journey to get one and USE IT DAILY!!

Now, I know people who have tried a pedometer and had problems with it working properly and then they just give up on the whole idea. These are not expensive items and you have to experiment with different brands and styles. I really like the Sportline model as it works super and keeps tracks of steps, calories and distance. I enter in my weight and step length and I am ready to go.

When you were younger and began dating, after that first wrong guy/gal did you say, "Well, that's that. That date didn't work out. I guess I'll never get married?" OR did you keep kissing those frogs until you found Mr./Ms. Right? Pedometer's are like dating, you have to keep trying until you find the perfect one for you. I can highly recommend the Sportline model and they aren't even paying me to say that.

I FEEL NAKED without my pedometer. I tell people to shoot for a goal of 5,000 steps a day (dead people do 1,000!) to start with (approximately 2.5 miles). Then work your way up to 10,000 steps a day. Also it's important to get at least one 2 mile walk (at one time) in a day to increase your cardio strength and burn calories. As anything in life, you have to do what is best for you.

For me, hitting 10,000 steps a day is what's best for me and it makes me happy!

10,000 STEPS A DAY (The Walking Site http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html)

"10,000 steps a day - pedometer walking program, walking routine, beginning walking, beginner walker"
How many steps do you walk each day?

Maybe you have heard the recent guidelines about walking 10,000 steps per day. How far is 10,000 steps anyway? The average person's stride length is approximately 2.5 feet long. That means it takes just over 2,000 steps to walk one mile, and 10,000 steps is close to 5 miles.

A sedentary person may only average 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day. For these people adding steps has many health benefits. I have outlined the basic 10,000 steps program, but also added a commentary below.

A reasonable goal for most people is to increase average daily steps each week by 500 per day until you can easily average 10,000 per day. Example: If you currently average 3000 steps each day, your goal for week one is 3500 each day. Your week 2 goal is 4000 each day. Continue to increase each week and you should be averaging 10,000 steps by the end of 14 weeks.

Wearing a pedometer s an easy way to track your steps each day. Start by wearing the pedometer every day for one week. Put it on when you get up in the morning and wear it until bed time. Record your daily steps in a log or notebook. By the end of the week you will know your average daily steps. You might be surprised how many (or how few) steps you get in each day.

There are many ways to increase your daily steps. Use your imagination and come up with your own list:

1. Take a walk with your spouse, child, or friend
2. Walk the dog
3. Use the stairs instead of the elevator
4. Park farther from the store
5. Better yet, walk to the store
6. Get up to change the channel
7. Window shop
8. Plan a walking meeting
9. Walk over to visit a neighbor
10. Get outside to walk around the garden or do a little weeding

Continue to track your daily steps and/or mileage; and keep notes on how you feel, how your body is improving, or other changes you are making to improve your health.

If you are in very poor physical condition or at any point you feel that you are progressing too rapidly slow down a bit and try smaller increases. If you have any health concerns seek your physician's advice prior to starting or changing your exercise routine.

NOTICE - We have outlined the standard 10,000 step program because so many people ask about it. This is a good program to help get people motivated, or to get sedentary people moving. It is however our recommendation that most individuals fit 30 to 60 minutes of dedicated walking (or other exercise) into their routine at least 3 to 4 days a week. You can start with as little as ten minutes per day and gradually increase your walking routine.