Written by Louise
Schneider, DrPH, RD
The sense of accomplishment when you are able to achieve a lot of things is addicting and I find I acquire enthusiasm when able to do more than one thing at once, since it helps me feel so proficient. You know what I mean: to cook a pot of soup while you are pushing clothes through the laundry; to have something baking in the oven while you update your address book or press a tablecloth; and to head up an incline while you are out getting your exercise adds to the glow on your cheeks, the exhilaration when you complete the task, the pleasure of relishing the next meal as the appetite is sharpened.
The sense of accomplishment when you are able to achieve a lot of things is addicting and I find I acquire enthusiasm when able to do more than one thing at once, since it helps me feel so proficient. You know what I mean: to cook a pot of soup while you are pushing clothes through the laundry; to have something baking in the oven while you update your address book or press a tablecloth; and to head up an incline while you are out getting your exercise adds to the glow on your cheeks, the exhilaration when you complete the task, the pleasure of relishing the next meal as the appetite is sharpened.
We got away from this daily endeavor for a time, but now my husband and I are back doing the cardiac climb out in the hills of Loma Linda. We have a route we follow that takes us on a trail up the hill but instead of going straight up, it inclines for a time, levels off and then the trail rises up again. For the bliss of doing two things at once (and the fact that my husband had a birthday), I purchased a pedometer for him and bought one for myself at the same time. I now know that the total amount of steps on this “Cardiac Climb”, is 4,000 steps from my door and back on the short route and on weekends when we have more time, we take the longer route, and when we do this, my new pedometer says there are 5,000 steps, start to finish.
Statistics say that sedentary Americans typically walk an average
of 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day. Research shows that if you walk 6,000
steps a day you significantly reduce risk for death and 8,000 to 10,000 steps a
day promotes weight loss.
For further reading:
1. Tudor-Locke C, Bassett DR Jr. How many steps/day are enough? Preliminary pedometer indices for public health. Sports Med. 2004; 34(1):1-8.
2. McDermott AY, Mernitz H, Exercise and Older Patients: Prescribing Guidelines. Am Fam Physician 2006;74:437-44.
3. Hill JO, Wyatt HR, Reed GW, Peters JC. Obesity and the Environment: Where Do We Go From Here? Science 2003; 299:853-855.
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