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250 steps at a time
2/2/22 12:53CW exercise/fitness
At a conference late in 2019 I noticed a colleague's smartwatch--specifically, that she was getting text messages on it. That seemed cool, so when I got home I bought myself a Fitbit and started getting MY text messages on it. (Honestly, I'm like a baby with toys.)
The device's primary function of fitness tracking was meaningless to me because I couldn't walk. Then I had hip replacement number one, and, six weeks later, hip replacement number two, and, six weeks after that, a pandemic that prevented me from completing all the physical therapy I needed.
Walking around was just about the only thing I could safely do, I couldn't do it--at least, not without pain.
So what with one thing and another it wasn't until six months ago that I finally started paying attention to the Fitbit's little hourly nudge to get out of my chair and take 250 steps.
It took only a couple of successful days (12 hours, 250 steps each) to notice a difference. My brain worked better. I had slightly more energy. Shortly after that, the half-mile walk to the close grocery store became pain-free.
Then the one-mile walk to the farther but better grocery store became possible.
One day while I was out and about somewhere, the Fitbit gave a burst of haptic feedback and pretty colors, congratulating me on 5000 steps. I started trying to make it do that every day. When that got too easy, I upped it to 6000. A couple of weeks later, 7000.
My average is up to 7750, and I can do the 9000-step round trip to my mother's house with little discomfort (though the rest and cup of coffee in the middle is helpful).
Now I just wish it would stop buzzing me about text messages.
At a conference late in 2019 I noticed a colleague's smartwatch--specifically, that she was getting text messages on it. That seemed cool, so when I got home I bought myself a Fitbit and started getting MY text messages on it. (Honestly, I'm like a baby with toys.)
The device's primary function of fitness tracking was meaningless to me because I couldn't walk. Then I had hip replacement number one, and, six weeks later, hip replacement number two, and, six weeks after that, a pandemic that prevented me from completing all the physical therapy I needed.
Walking around was just about the only thing I could safely do, I couldn't do it--at least, not without pain.
So what with one thing and another it wasn't until six months ago that I finally started paying attention to the Fitbit's little hourly nudge to get out of my chair and take 250 steps.
It took only a couple of successful days (12 hours, 250 steps each) to notice a difference. My brain worked better. I had slightly more energy. Shortly after that, the half-mile walk to the close grocery store became pain-free.
Then the one-mile walk to the farther but better grocery store became possible.
One day while I was out and about somewhere, the Fitbit gave a burst of haptic feedback and pretty colors, congratulating me on 5000 steps. I started trying to make it do that every day. When that got too easy, I upped it to 6000. A couple of weeks later, 7000.
My average is up to 7750, and I can do the 9000-step round trip to my mother's house with little discomfort (though the rest and cup of coffee in the middle is helpful).
Now I just wish it would stop buzzing me about text messages.
