Wednesday, March 19, 2008

well, i did it.

i was reading the february issue of bhg, the health section, yesterday morning. as you are probably aware, february is national women's heart month (or something to that tune) and the whole section was dedicated to heart health. being interested as i am in heart health, i was intrigued. one thing they said was that we should shoot for 10,000 steps a day. sedentary folks typically get 1,000 to 3,000 steps in a day, and while that's better than never moving, you should try and gradually increase your steps until you get to the golden 10,000 mark. i was curious to see where i fell in, so i dug out that pedometer that kelly got from work and plugged it on my belt that morning. from about 11 until 9 p.m. i got 1300 steps in. not too impressive, but i was surprised i did that many since i wasn't doing that much physically.

but today, it's 2:00 and i've already far exceeded 10,000. i walked on the treadmill this morning and a three mile walk gives you quite a jump on count. so i'll check in tomorrow and post the total count i achieved today. walking to school to pick ethan up was 1000 steps. so i got 2000 in that trip. it's kind of cool.

so i challenge you to get a pedometer and see just how many steps you take in a day. it's for your heart you know...

oh, and harvard researchers have proven that a nap every afternoon reduces the risk of dying of heart disease by 30%. i like evidence like that! :)

have a good day.

13 comments:

Ranger and Tanner said...

congrats...funny I just bought a pedometer the other day, I'm up to an average of 7-8000 steps a day. Now if only I could find time to sqeeze in that nap. :)

Houston said...

I think that we should have a national nap time, after all it is for our health:) Congratulations on exceeding your goal!

Anonymous said...

I have a pedometer but it's not designed well and somehow I keep resetting it. pointless.

I don't nap either. but I do get a solid 8 hours most nights, that counts for something huh?

Vivian Masket said...

I took a three hour nap yesterday, but then again, I was sick. Now that I'm healthy again I can get back on that treadmill! Good for you for doing so much walking (and napping!).

Debi said...

i have an unopened pedometer in my drawer...i'm taking your challenge tomorrow...i'll report back....

Anonymous said...

Think I could sell the nap thing to my boss? It's for my heart! :)

Heather Harrell Photography said...

I need to put "get pedometer" on my 'to do' list. It would be interesting to see how many I do get in...

*Paula* said...

I'm another one with the unopened pedometer. I should go dig it out.

Anonymous said...

love pedometers and walking of course! the training i've been doing for past race and upcoming races helps keep me on track, thank goodness, otherwise i would just be lazy. i just knew i loved napping for good reasons, thanks for confirming that for me - hee, hee! love me some nap time! cheers to heart health em!

Tara Whalen said...

sorry, can't comment. sleeping. zzzzzzzz

Anonymous said...

love both ideas. and the nap thing has to be why you always look so dang fresh :)

Rachael said...

National nap time sounds great!!

I used to have a pedometer, might need to get another!!

It's amazing, you think you are doing a ton, then measure it and it's really not too good!

Happy steps to you!

Steph said...

just think of how many steps we'll walk in July!