10,000 Steps A Day

Do you have a step or exercise goal each day? Mine is 10,000 steps. I received a Fitbit 
for Mother’s Day last year and I also got a new phone with an exercise ap so both of these 
have helped to encourage this goal. Walking that much each day is said to reduce the risk 
of chronic disease including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.  Ten thousand steps is 
equivalent to about 5 miles.

I have trouble with fitting in regular exercise programs so walking works for me. I’ve found 
that I have no trouble at all in the summer with 10,000 steps. I farm, so as many times as I 
walk out to the fields and back, I naturally get the steps in. However, winter is a different 
creature. When the weather is nice enough, I get out on the street for a walk, the park or go 
for a hike. If I don’t get my steps in, I know that what I have to do before the end of the day is 
to get on the elliptical machine we have. I don’t like doing that but will turn on the TV and 
watch short clips, usually monologues from talk shows, to make the time go faster. If I 
don’t have a lot of steps to catch up, I will jog in place.

Walking helps me keep my weight down; I love to eat and to drink beer. I saw it estimated 
that one burns 100 calories per mile. With 10,000 steps being about 5 miles that is 500 
calories.Walking also has been shown to improve mental health and well-being. It sure 
improves my mood, both to exercise and to be outside. Even in the evening when I feel 
too tired to exercise and I know I need to get on the elliptical, I always feel better and less 
tired after I’ve exercised.

Much recent research has centered around the health dangers of sitting for long periods of 
time.These risks include obesity, diabetes, heart disease and more.  A recent meta-analysis 
shows that even for people who exercise for one hour per day, the risks from sitting too long 
still exist. A meta analysis carries more weight because it pools data from several other 
similar studies to develop a conclusion. People who sit for prolonged periods of time had a 
higher risk of death from all causes. So spreading my 10,000 steps out during the day keeps 
me moving too.

So since I first started tracking I have made my 10,000 steps a day except for two days that I 
think I was traveling and spent all day on an airplane. I'm determined to stay healthy as I age
and this is one thing I've been able to do.

Here is some additional reading if you are interested in the studies on sitting for too long.

Science Daily

Annals of Internal Medicine

 

Summary of Sitting Down, Inquiries  Journal

And if you are concerned about the damage done to your skin from walking outside for long 
periods of time, check out  Colorado Aromatics skin care. These products are formulated 
to repair skin damage from the outdoors.

Thanksgiving Weekend Hikes - Hall Ranch and Rabbit Mountain

Hall Ranch west of Lyons

Along with eating too much on Thanksgiving comes doing exercise. During the summer I am doing a farmer's market most weekends so I haven’t gotten out for hikes as much as I’d like to. Thankfully this weekend provided us with warm and sunny fall weather which allowed for some hiking. A lot of people had the same idea about getting out after Thanksgiving to enjoy the nice weather and get some exercise.

Since the September floods the roads west of us that go into the mountains have been closed and just recently opened with temporary fixes. Friday we drove through Lyons to Hall Ranch Park. Lyons is still cleaning up debris from the flood and doing repairs, so the roads are full of dump trucks and cones.  Hall Ranch is a great hike that goes through hilly grasslands and up into pine and juniper forest. The views are wide open and include the cliffs that rise above the St. Vrain River. It's a mixed use trail so there were hikers, bikers and horses. The cool fall weather doesn't tend to carry aromas as much as the warm breezes of summer, but the aromatic grasses and pines were detectable.

View of Longs and Meeker Peaks from Rabbit Mountain

Sunlight on the grasses at Rabbit Mountain

On Saturday, I did a limited amount of work and of course went out shopping for small business Saturday. But that still left time for another hike.  This time it was to Rabbit Mountain, east of Lyons so very close to us. We are lucky to have this open space so close and often go there. I like having a hike I can do regularly and observe the changes during the seasons. I typically hike Overlook Trail, but this time we took Eagle Wind Trail. This again goes mostly through hilly grasslands and then Ponderosa pines which give the area a pleasant aroma. The trail is mostly rocky so I have to pay close attention to where I place my feet, but several places were nice and sandy. Most of the trail allows very panoramic views of the Mountains on one side and the great plains on the other side.

For me getting out for a hike is a great way to relax and focus on something other than work. I hope to enjoy a few more hikes over the winter, but if it snows I'll be sure to enjoy cross country skiing.