You can dance, you can jive or just go for a walk!

18^th April 2013

If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one. Dolly Parton

Well I feel a little better today than I did yesterday!  Yesterday I felt like I’d been run down by a truck, every part of me ached, a lovely case of the lurgy I’ve had creeping on since the weekend but hopefully I’m over the worst and on the mend, you’ve got love a Night Nurse night cap to help sleep. 

My pedometer proves how active I am, the last two days I’ve hit 26,000 steps, that earns me an extra ten activity ProPoints each day by the way, so guidelines have always said to aim for 10,000 steps a day, this was apparently originally promoted in Japan by pedometer companies but there was no research to back it up!  Numbers as low as 6,000 steps a day were shown to be correlated with a lower death rate in men in the Harvard Study and the Weight Watcher Pedometers are set so that an individual reaches what they class as ‘healthy’ before earning, this varies depending on your height and weight.  Of course if you do 3000 steps a day, your aim would be to add to that in anyway possible, it all helps.

Have you ever wondered when you’re looking at those ‘health’ type questionnaires whether you have a Sedentary lifestyle or an Active one?  We were the other day and my mate found this information which helped us;

Based on the best evidence as of the end of 2003, Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke recommends the following:

Classification of pedometer-determined physical activity in healthy adults:
1) Under 5000 steps/day may be used as a "sedentary lifestyle index"
2) 5,000-7,499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/exercise and might be considered "low active."
3) 7,500-9,999 likely includes some exercise or walking (and/or a job that requires more walking) and might be considered "somewhat active."
4) 10,000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as "active".
5) Individuals who take more than 12,500 steps/day are likely to be classified as "highly active".

Source: http://walking.about.com/cs/measure/a/locke122004.htm

Now I’m not doing 26,000 steps everyday, but I reckon I still on average do more than 12,500 steps a day over the week, so I’m pleased to realised I’m considered ‘highly active’ which one are you?

Are you pleased with the answer?  If not, what could you do to improve your activity levels?  I’m lucky that my job involves moving somewhat, it also involves lifting, I empty my car of all the boxes to set up (I did that on my own last night it took 12 minutes and I walked half a mile back and forth from the car so that’s my weight lifting sessions sorted I reckon).  This is why I don’t do classes, because together with all the dog walking, which is at least an hour a day most days, I’m earning on average I do 15,000 steps a day, which because some research has told me makes me ‘highly active’ I’m chuffed because I’d guessed I was ‘somewhat active’ as I didn’t do ‘classes’ nor work every day.

Anyway this highly active individual with a cracking head cold is off to get ready for work, I feel a heck of a lot better today than I did yesterday, I’m relieved to say and it will soon be my weekend and I can relax and recover fully then.

Oh before I go, I felt really rough yesterday but I watched this video on YouTube and it really made me smile,

http://youtu.be/SiJi1uc5rmY  She absolutely made my day I sat there thinking “Go Girl” what can I say - see you can dance, you can jive - having the time of your life! No excuses folks, we can all move more, we may not have her rhythm but we can do something.  

Have a fab day, take care of you and EatGorgeous. xx