counting steps

I have been convinced that I am an active person, I walk a lot and I bike everywhere, I hardly ever take the elevator, the bus or the tram.

To reassure myself I borrowed a pedometer and attached it to my waist. On Tuesday, by lunchtime I had taken 400 steps and the meter stopped. That’s ridiculous – surely I had walked more than that. Obviously not. I found out that after having been still for a long period of time I have to take 6steps for the counter to start counting again. Hmmm, it had cheated…I had walked a bit more. And besides I only put the meter on after my gym class in the morning, before work. But still, it was pretty pathetic.

Apparently you should take 10000 steps a day to stay healthy and 12000-15000 to get fitter. Fine, I will reach that.

After work I went to work work. Surely this would give me the steps I needed. But I was told it would be a quiet night. But still, surely, it must. By the time we started cleaning up I was at 12500 steps and when I got home at 16005 steps. If you add those 400 from the morning it makes 16405 steps. Pretty good I though.

Yesterday I decided to redo my little measuring activity. After all, it would be a walking day and then a busy night at work work. By lunchtime I had take 2500 steps. Excellent. This was more like it. But it was all downhill from there. At the end of the day I had only taken 13700 steps, which is something like 8km. That nothing more than a short run. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

I was depressed. I had been convinced I am an active person and never has to worry about not moving and exercising enough. But in reality, if I don’t do my sports I don’t move that much. In fact I only move enough to stay healthy and reasonably fit.

Oh and I no longer bike that much either, as I live so close to my work.

How depressing.

Today I left the stupid pedometer into my drawer.