Steps

I don’t own a Fitbit but I am interested in the number of steps I take daily. The powers that be suggest a goal of 10,000 steps a day. Depending where you live that could be a daunting number or your mid-day count. I moved from the remote little town of Saint Mary’s GA to the pedestrian friendly city of Charleston SC. I worked out and ran while in Saint Mary’s GA and usually hit 9,000 steps give or take 1,000. Now, living in an urban area within walking distance of all things I need, I am hitting about 20,000 steps per day. I walk to the grocery store, the yoga studio, restaurants in the area on top of runs or other workouts I complete in a day.

It is said that European women are often thinner due to their activity levels. But I think this is really comparing city living to suburban living. When I visited London and Paris recently, my husband and I averaged about 20,000 steps a day. We walked everywhere, toured museums, historical sites, etc. It was great exercise. I would imagine if we visited more remote towns we would have driven more and walked less. I really think this is a city vs suburban living issue. When I lived in a suburban area, all I could do in my neighborhood was walk for exercise on the paths near my house or walk the dogs. The neighborhood clubhouse (pool and gym) was 2 ½ miles away and the grocery store was a 10-minute drive. It would take me 90 minutes round trip to walk to the gym. I can’t imagine how many hours it would take walking to the grocery store and back.

Living in such a remote area left us thirsty for pedestrian friendly living. We are very excited that we can walk wherever we want and driving is only for getting to work or running errands outside the area. I’m very thankful for this change in activity. I know that not everyone can change where they live. I also believe that there is an unfair advantage for those who cannot walk to all their daily activities. It’s so easy to get in my steps and multiply it by 2 and that is all due to living in a pedestrian friendly area. So what do you do to get in your steps???