I FINALLY reach 10,000 steps per day

In fact I was 500 over.

Every day Vicky beats me.  In fact, she beats me by huge margins, often 2000 or more steps.

We get little credit for bike riding, for example, but she will end up with 1000 more steps than me for the same ride.  Same thing happens with ping pong and with dancing.  She always ends up with more steps.

Well, yesterday I thought I'd finally beat her.  We were both going to mow the lawn. She uses the finish mower on the area close to the house, and I struggle with the huge DR mower for the back field (about 1/2 acre).  No WAY I don't get my 10,000.  It takes us each about two hours, so I thought that should do it, along with everything else we did that day, to finally get me 10,000 steps.

Here is the piddly little postage-stamp area she mowed (well, part of it anyway.......half of it anyway):

And the huge expanse I mowed:

 

Just for the heck of it we both took pre-mowing measurements.  In addition, I also wore one of my hiking GPS systems, a type that measures distance not by steps but by satellite.

Here are the totals for the two hours or so we worked, using our activity trackers:

Vicky:  3100 steps

Dan:  2400 steps

Vicky:  1.32 miles walked

Dan:  1 mile walked

Beat me again.  AGAIN!

I can sort of understand that because how we mow is different.  She can generally walk a little faster and more consistently, whereas with the DR Mower it is a different story.  The ground is uneven and it only has two rear wheels.  Turning requires a lot of effort, and you almost have to come to a stop to do it.

However, the significant finding, I believe, was in comparing the distance using the GPS system (our hiking GPS) and the step system (the activity tracker).

Using the hiking GPS I got credit for 1.84 miles, whereas with the step-counting activity tracker I got credit for 1.0 miles.  That's a big difference.  And we trust the accuracy of the hiking GPS because we have calibrated it using other GPS systems and with known distances of trails.

The units appear to be good for measuring straight line walking, with your arm free.  The sensor detects motion in three directions using a little gizmo called an accelerometer.  That sounds like something from Flash Gordon, but essentially it is to filter out extraneous movements from movements that are step-like.

A few days ago I made several short journeys into our back garage to fill the wheelbarrow with wood for our stove.  I got virtually no credit for those steps--too slow, not enough movement, and not far enough.  Arrggh.  It was hard work, too!

The activity trackers are useful as a way of comparing days with each other.  And if a person can do a lot of straight line walking they are pretty accurate.   But they aren't good for much beyond that. 

So, how did I finally get my 10,000?

Answer:  By playing the piano.

I don't play it gently--I beat the thing into submission.  I hurt it and dare it to not produce something sounding vaguely like music.

And all of that beating gave me step credit. 

So, I have decided on a new exercise program.  One half hour a day of playing the piano and I'll have my 10,000 steps and be buff for my high school 50th reunion that will be held in only 99 days (give or take an hour or so...................but who's worrying about that?)