So, I thought I'd put this out there for people so that when I say I have an active job now I really know that I do. Today we surveyed. But, because just basic paperwork stuff we didn't get out to the field until 10am. We took a 35 minute lunch, and finished the day at 3:30.

My pedometer, which started today at 0 currently says 23,568. It's 4:40 and I still have to go grocery shopping. And today was a short day!!!!

To put this in perspective: an active adult takes about 10,000 steps a day.
A very active adult is at about 12,500.

On a short day I'm almost double a very active adult. I have my crew making bets on how much it's going to be tomorrow when we walk the full 8 hours!

I'm gonna go have some soup and not feel bad about not running today. My legs are fine, but my feet are killing me!

ps 10,000 should be the amount of steps we should try to take a day, right? I'm also trying to figure this out for the days when I'm in the office.

WOW!! I think when i was training 10 miles was around 22,000 steps!! CONGRATS! You can't beat getting paid to be active!! I hope you have good shoes!

archy - Yep, 10,000 is the magic number made up by the Japanese and repeated over and over again so that we now all believe it. I find it difficult to achieve that without two walks during the day. (I have a desk job.)

Your 23,568 is one active day I do hope you post your results tomorrow.

__________________
XXXXXXX 7 XXXXXXX 14 XXXXXXX 21 XXXXXXX 28 XXXXXXX 35 XXXXXXX 42
Completed Beck Program-day 42. You’ve met your goal. Congratulations!

Yeah Archy, you have an EXTREMELY active job.

Archy-that's a lot of steps, but when I did survey, I walked fairly slowly, often bent over to look or pick up "stuff", crawled under fences, stopped to talk to farmers about what they saw in their fields, stopped to look at plat maps or old historical documents, paused to photograph, measure and take notes....and stopped for a beer on the way back to the lab or museum.

I'm not doubting that you have an active job, but unless doing survey has changed dramatically, it's an endurance day rather than an intense workout. Now if you were doing a rescue deep trench excavation 15 feet ahead of a front end loader, that would be a high intensity day

Keep on trudging!

What part of Illinois are you working in? I spent several years doing field work in the Lower Illinois Valley.


Mel

I should wear a ped. when I shoot a wedding. I'd be interested to see how many steps I walk on an average day - not including the bending, climbing, squatting, stretching, etc.

.

PhotoChick - You should! We took bets on how much it was going to be, and the average on a "tough day" we all said was around 20,000. For today the higher bets were at around 15,000. Try it. I have a $5 one, and I have been amazed.

Mel - We're working in Fort Riley, Kansas now. The wind chill was at around 15 below, so there was very little of stopping around to take pictures and maps. Which meant that I had to do that as soon as we got back to the hotel because I'm supervising.

You're right. Walking days are all about endurance, your legs hurt at the end, but you're not getting a real work out. But when we have full day survey with shovel tests or post holing, THAT'S a full body workout. I remember not being able to write because my arms hurt so much and then having my arms tingling all night.

Way to go. I wore mine to work a week straight and averaged about 6-8 miles a day. Feels great huh!

Wow! That is great! Keep going.

Yesterday after work (sitting all day), I walked a little over 2 miles, 4500 steps, burned 159 cals and I was feeling great with that!

Seems I have a looooong way to go with my steps!

When I got home, I wasn't really hungry but then I had a yogurt & a skinny cow ice cream. Some combo, huh?

This morning I weighed and am still stuck at 179 - 14 days at this weight & I am getting discouraged. Wish I knew what the problem was or what I can do to bust through to at least 175.

I just hope I don't give up. At least I don't THINK I will.

Archy - way to go!!

You are in Kansas in February??? This is LAB time, girl! You're burning calories shivering or pulling on all those clothes!

good job archy. I need to wear a ped to work. I too have a very active job. I'm a vet and run from room to room all the time. My last job i swear i walked 5 -10 miles a day. I never sat down and rarely got a lunch break. Its amazing how much working out you are doing while at work. Great job!

Ahh, the joys of contract archaeology! Last year I was here in January doing Phase 2s with a windchill of about 15 below. It's much colder if you're just digging.

Today we got snowed out, so we're here in Junction City, chillin'. I'm going to go work out on the Super 8 treadmill and stick with a band work out.

Wow, that's a lot of steps!!

When I worked at an elementary school, I'd work 4 hours running from classroom to classroom and out to the literacy trailer and easily rack up 8,000 steps just in that time.

Now, I have a desk job and find it difficult to make it to 8,000 when I've had what I now consider an active day!! This is going to sound really terrible but -- it's almost 5pm, and my pedometer hasn't even broken the 1,000 mark. Seriously. I hate my job. :/

Usually I would have at least gone for a walk at lunch but it's been threatening to snow/ice, so I've held off. Looks like today won't even be a 5k day...

I'm a physical therapy assistant, and we're on our feet all day with our patients. I picked my profession because I didn't want to sit at a desk all day, but once in awhile sitting is nice!

When I was in clinicals I asked one of my clinical supervisors about all the activity, and she said that we still have to go to the gym. Working in an active job is great for getting up and moving, but it's not consistent get-your-heartrate-going work. She also offered that most therapists go to the gym before work, because working out after work just isn't going to happen. After falling asleep on the couch several nights in a row right when I got home, I was more than willing to believe that!

Hey, sidhe, I had heard that, too--that stuff you do every day doesn't really count as exercise because your body gets used to that level of activity. And so, if one is overweight at that level of activity, then clearly that's not enough activity for weight loss, all other things being equal.

But, I think archy probably burned a LOT of calories that day anyway!

Also, it's better to move around during the day than it is to sit a lot--in my opinion. If I sit too much, I get a sore back and sore knees, oddly.

Jay

Oh, P.S. Edited to say that I like to go to the gym in the afternoon, because my work is done at a desk, and I can really use the movement by then. I also walk earlier in the day.