Daily Walks & Counting Steps

Walk Walk Walk Walk – The Agora display in Grant Park, Chicago, IL

My Approach to Daily Walks & Counting Steps

I love walking. I have been walking for fitness for many years. But, I too have to be strategic in order to stay motivated to do my daily walks. I keep in mind the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, tracking my daily steps, “walktography and strategizing for inclement weather.

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition

When I walk, I keep in mind, the suggested fitness standards for adults. Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults include the following:

150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity or
300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity or
75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or
150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity.

Counting Steps

My standard for daily steps is 10,000 steps per day. I try to do at least 10K steps on most days of the week. Hence, I have to be able to have each step counted. There are many fitness trackers on the market. I have been using my faithful Vivofit tracker for well over 10 years. The Garmin app is used to track steps. Plus, I maintain an Excel spreadsheet maintain my privacy and personal records.

Achieving Goals on Bad Weather Days

I would love to do outdoor powerwalking every day. But, I live in the Midwest where we have horrible winter months. I have pushed back from renewing my fitness center membership during the pandemic. So, I had to get creative on how to achieve minutes and steps indoors for about 4 months each year.

To prepare for bitter winters, back in November I purchased a treadmill and Mini-Stepper. I used both along with my Walk Away The Pounds – DVD.

Walktography

I think I created the word, “walktography“. I never heard of it before until I used it… LOL. During the pandemic, I started “walktography” which is the art of taking photos while walking. Walktography has been extremely helpful in motivating me to get out and walk walk walk! Here are some photos I snapped during my outdoor walks during the pandemic.