“How many steps per day are enough to keep you trim and prevent obesity? A pedometer study of an Old Order Amish community showed that their average man logged 18,000 steps per day and their average woman logged 14,000 steps per day, and they had one of the lowest rates of overweight and obesity of any community in North America.” (About.com:Walking: Walk Like the Amish)
14,000 steps? That’s nearly triple the number the other study showed the rest of us log in a day. Wow. And they’re not overweight. Hmmmm. Let’s see if I understand this correctly.
The Amish don’t go to gyms and work out for three hours a day. They walk. And they’re not overweight.
Hmmm.
Slender people walk about 1500 more steps a day than overweight people.
Hmmm.
So you’re telling me that if I just get my body up and moving--walking, not some fancy workout--that I can get in better shape?
Hmmm. My little brain cells are starting to overheat here.
Last year, when my sciatic nerve went red-hot and I was in 8/10 pain that took months to resolve, I had been going to Curves for a year and doing other exercises, too. When my pain got too bad, I couldn’t go to Curves, but I decided to start walking an hour a day. (I was able to do that because I had already been working out.)
After several months of walking 45-60 minutes a day, my husband commented that my body looked better than it had on any other workout program.
Hmmm.
Those baby steps really are important. Count ‘em. Who's with me on this one? Tell me when you have your pedometer.
© Copyright 2010 Heather Horrocks
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment