— ARCHIVES —
Exercise of the Month - April 2009:
“Quantitative Feedback via Pedometers”
There are a plethora of fitness gadgets available for exercise enthusiasts to track their results. One gadget I like using with some of the groups I train are pedometers. A pedometer is a step counter that records the number of steps you take by the motion at your hips. They come in various models, but you can get a decent one for ~$30. Personally, the feedback from the machine makes you want to increase your daily step count to achieve a proper weight and enhance your cardiovascular system.
A ballpark number to use is 2,000 steps = 1 mile. A national initiative has been to walk 10,000 steps every day. If you really focus on it, it’s definitely doable. Simple tips to increase your daily step count include the following:
- walk your dog more often
- park farther away at the mall/grocery store
- take a morning walk before breakfast every day
- take the stairs at work instead of the elevator
- make use of your gym membership as opposed to paying for it and never going
