A doctor to doctor joke goes like this;
" When you ask a patient how much he/she smokes, double the figure they give you. When you ask a patient how much they drink, triple the figure they give you. When you ask a patient how often they have sex, divide that number by four!"
The point in relation to exercise is you don't want to be delusional about how much exercise you do or don't do. There is no need to kid anyone especially yourself. Furthermore, if you can add facts and figures to any representation you are making to a health professional involved in your care it does two things;
1/ He or she is not making mental calculations as to the validity of what you are saying.
2/ If you are interested in your own health, it makes them feel better about helping you.
Meet the Sports Science SD-PRO 3D pedometer, a beast of a machine when you want to take measurements and qualify the amount and quality of your exercise. I use it to count the number of steps I take and as I know my stride length, this gives me a good idea of the distance travelled. It will when I get the hang of it also measure the speed at which I walk.
Two points of digression;
1/ I don't do jogging.I have tried many a time to but it just doesn't fit as an exercise for me. As Winston Churchill once described golf as a great way to ruin a good walk, I think the same about jogging. So I walk and when I do I try to do it with purpose, with vim and vigour, to get the most out of it. When I come to a hill I try to increase my determination and push myself all the while thinking my thoughts, solving the problems of the world, smelling the breeze, enjoying the wildlife, having a good all round exercise session without it feeling like one.
2/There are two studies I will tell you about shortly but one, the Copenhagen Heart Study defines the states of jogging;
"Light jogging- a slow or average pace, 8km per hour or 5 miles per hour, three or fewer times per week, less than 2.5 hours total per week.
Moderate jogging- a slow or average pace, three or fewer times per week, but for 2.5 hours or more per week.
Strenuous jogging - running at a fast pace, more than 11kph or 7 mph, more than 3 times per week, and 4 hours total per week."
As a good paced walker, I am a moderate jogger by this definition, although generally I walk every day either as part of my exercise or as part of my profession. Even with long legs I could never be strenuous enough to attain 11 kph whilst walking, I will be honest. So if you are not a jogger as I am not, walking is a perfectly valid alternative.
The pedometer is another check on your exercise to ensure you are not fooling yourself and you are getting enough to make a difference to your overall well being and to reduce the chances that you might one day fall down with an "unexpected" heart attack as a result of cardiovascular disease. It always makes me laugh to see or here that. As if people "expect" a heart attack. " Hang on a minute, it's 3 o'clock, I am expecting a heart attack!"
Whilst the slogan of 10,000 steps began as a jingle to sell pedometers, it is recognised by the Surgeon General and the American Heart Organisation as a target for people to get to in order to remain healthy. 10,000 steps equates to approximately 30 minutes of walking per day but when you have a pedometer, you can measure what it means for you.
There does not seem to be a breakdown into how you take your 10,000 steps but I do not count slipper shuffling around the house or the ones required to put the garbage out. The steps that I count are the ones I define as the full monty in order that my stride length and therefore the distance I have travelled is meaningful. Over a four week period work demanded between 11,000 and 18,000 steps per day. If I added the walking the dogs routine, this added a further 5,000. I was happy I was easily meeting the requirements to perform enough exercise to assist with cardiovascular health.
So why does all this matter?
1/ The heart specialist said it did.
2/ Studies show exercise makes a huge difference to a person's life.
3/Well 1/ and 2/ were so good I don't need a 3/. Thanks you Rik Mayall for that gag.
The conclusions of the Copenhagen Heart Study and also backed up by a much larger American study looking at over 50,000 exercisers makes interesting reading.
" When you ask a patient how much he/she smokes, double the figure they give you. When you ask a patient how much they drink, triple the figure they give you. When you ask a patient how often they have sex, divide that number by four!"
The point in relation to exercise is you don't want to be delusional about how much exercise you do or don't do. There is no need to kid anyone especially yourself. Furthermore, if you can add facts and figures to any representation you are making to a health professional involved in your care it does two things;
1/ He or she is not making mental calculations as to the validity of what you are saying.
2/ If you are interested in your own health, it makes them feel better about helping you.
Meet the Sports Science SD-PRO 3D pedometer, a beast of a machine when you want to take measurements and qualify the amount and quality of your exercise. I use it to count the number of steps I take and as I know my stride length, this gives me a good idea of the distance travelled. It will when I get the hang of it also measure the speed at which I walk.
Two points of digression;
1/ I don't do jogging.I have tried many a time to but it just doesn't fit as an exercise for me. As Winston Churchill once described golf as a great way to ruin a good walk, I think the same about jogging. So I walk and when I do I try to do it with purpose, with vim and vigour, to get the most out of it. When I come to a hill I try to increase my determination and push myself all the while thinking my thoughts, solving the problems of the world, smelling the breeze, enjoying the wildlife, having a good all round exercise session without it feeling like one.
2/There are two studies I will tell you about shortly but one, the Copenhagen Heart Study defines the states of jogging;
"Light jogging- a slow or average pace, 8km per hour or 5 miles per hour, three or fewer times per week, less than 2.5 hours total per week.
Moderate jogging- a slow or average pace, three or fewer times per week, but for 2.5 hours or more per week.
Strenuous jogging - running at a fast pace, more than 11kph or 7 mph, more than 3 times per week, and 4 hours total per week."
As a good paced walker, I am a moderate jogger by this definition, although generally I walk every day either as part of my exercise or as part of my profession. Even with long legs I could never be strenuous enough to attain 11 kph whilst walking, I will be honest. So if you are not a jogger as I am not, walking is a perfectly valid alternative.
The pedometer is another check on your exercise to ensure you are not fooling yourself and you are getting enough to make a difference to your overall well being and to reduce the chances that you might one day fall down with an "unexpected" heart attack as a result of cardiovascular disease. It always makes me laugh to see or here that. As if people "expect" a heart attack. " Hang on a minute, it's 3 o'clock, I am expecting a heart attack!"
Whilst the slogan of 10,000 steps began as a jingle to sell pedometers, it is recognised by the Surgeon General and the American Heart Organisation as a target for people to get to in order to remain healthy. 10,000 steps equates to approximately 30 minutes of walking per day but when you have a pedometer, you can measure what it means for you.
There does not seem to be a breakdown into how you take your 10,000 steps but I do not count slipper shuffling around the house or the ones required to put the garbage out. The steps that I count are the ones I define as the full monty in order that my stride length and therefore the distance I have travelled is meaningful. Over a four week period work demanded between 11,000 and 18,000 steps per day. If I added the walking the dogs routine, this added a further 5,000. I was happy I was easily meeting the requirements to perform enough exercise to assist with cardiovascular health.
So why does all this matter?
1/ The heart specialist said it did.
2/ Studies show exercise makes a huge difference to a person's life.
3/Well 1/ and 2/ were so good I don't need a 3/. Thanks you Rik Mayall for that gag.
The conclusions of the Copenhagen Heart Study and also backed up by a much larger American study looking at over 50,000 exercisers makes interesting reading.
- Joggers who ran 1 to 2.4 hours per week had the lowest risk of mortality, with a significant 71% lower risk of death than sedentary non joggers, the couch potatoes.
- The optimal dose of jogging was two to three times per week. These joggers had a significantly 68% lower risk of death compared with the healthy sedentary group. Even those who ran once per week had a significantly lower risk of death compared with non joggers
- Slow-paced joggers had a significantly 49% lower risk of death compared with sedentary non joggers. The fastest runners had the same mortality risk as sedentary non joggers.
- More exercise isn't necessarily better in terms of health and longevity. The American study showed the benefits of running are best accumulated in shorter distances, specifically at less than 20 miles per week. In a later addition to this work it was shown just 5 to 10 minutes of daily running, performed even at very slow speeds, significantly lowered an individual's risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
I will stick to my walking as it is easy to achieve. I am satisfied I am doing enough to take some responsibility for my own health. I am happy I do not need to become a gym junkie and in fact to become one, may be counter productive. Remember too, walking happens to be the best exercise to suit me. Exercise comes in many forms, it is the overall duration and intensity that counts. Gardening, vacuuming, cleaning the car, bowling, dancing,swimming and so on are all valid forms of exercise. Just do it but remember to take your pedometer to prove it.
Just a quick note on pedometers.
1/ The cheap ones are in accurate The model I purchased uses 3D motion sensor technology which really just means it is accurate and does not count bumps and shuffles as steps. It also means that where and how you place it on your body to count your steps does not matter.I did my own accuracy tests when I first tried it out.
2/ I found the reviews on the internet quite confusing and contradictory. I bowed to the knowledge of a helpful shop assistant in the end.
3/ I did not receive any financial incentive to promote the pedometer I mention here. I wish I did so I could get another to replace the one I lost. The next one I buy and I will buy the same one again, I will add my own safety chain. I obviously bumped against something and it was gone. An expensive lesson that is shared with you.
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