In last issue’s eZine, Rob mentioned that he had joined a 10,000 Steps challenge to improve his health and decrease his waistline. Here’s what eZine readers had to say about that. – Editor
“As a Cajun woodworker who loves to cook (and you can’t love to cook without loving to enjoy the cookin’), I find that 10,000 steps just aren’t enough. Maybe 10,000 before lunch and another 10,000 in the afternoon would be more like it. My office/ breakroom is upstairs above my barn shop, and those 18 stairs are climbed many times each day. I also walk back and forth from the house to the barn numerous times daily (about 200 feet each way), and in the evening I still find time to spend 30 minutes on my elliptical trainer upstairs. It still is a battle to keep the pounds away at [age] 69. Well, gotta go start cooking the gumbo and jambalaya…” – Greg Little
“You better listen to that observer. Also, I recommend reading the book Live Long, Die Short by Dr. Roger Landry. It is all about keeping moving, and enjoying the time we have left on this earth. Take a break from woodworking and read it: I dare you.” – James Yarbrough
“10,000 steps will definitely improve your overall condition and is worthwhile for that reason (a midlife heart attack is no fun). However, exercise below the serious athlete level generally has little impact on weight. A resting human burns about 100W; convert that to kilocalories and compare it to the additional energy used in the workout, or compare the latter to what you’re eating. For most people, deflating the spare tire really does require eating differently. I’ve done it once before; now I need to get serious about calorie counting and do it again. Weight Watchers or similar do work, if you stick with them; last time I was sustaining about a 2 pound/week loss.” – Joe Kesselman
“It sounds as if you are dealing with the question of ‘advancing age.’ I started considering that as ‘increasing chronological experience.’ So far, it has worked for me for 82 years, and I am going strong.” – Charles E. Bradley, D.Ph.
