10,000 Steps has changed my life

I am taking a break, okay maybe not really a break just a day off. This is a guest post by Steve Tessler.

Steve is  a christian, husband, father in that order. He lives his life second. He embraces his flaws and acknowledges his imperfections as everyone should.  He does his best to live out his life the way God has led him to do. Taking one step at a time and sharing his story along the way. Steve blogs at SteveTessler.net and can be found on Twitter and Facebook as well.

10,000 Steps has changed my life.

Two years ago while listening to a podcast I heard about an exciting new book. If you’ve ever listened to a podcast you’ll know this is an excellent platform to launch a book.

The book “Eat Move Sleep” by Tom Rath. I was immediately intrigued by that title because at the time I was eating well. I wasn’t really moving and I wasn’t really sleeping.

I work at the U.S.P.S. on the night shift. I’ve worked there for six going on seven years and by now you would think I’d have my sleep pattern down. Wrong!!

As for moving I was working hard but sorting mail requires you to stand in one spot for up to four plus hours at a time. Not really moving around just swinging my arms to get mail to sort and stack tubs behind me.

Eating was what I was good at. I was eating four times that night and eating a meal before I left the house to go on my 30 minute drive one way commuting by car.

So if you haven’t figured it out yet. I was over eating. I wasn’t moving and I wasn’t sleeping well.

This author described all of this in this podcast. That next morning I bought the book and what an eye-opening experience for me!

In the book it was recommended that everyone walk 10,000 steps a day. That’s around five miles give or take and to have at least 30 minutes of activity everyday.

So that year I bought a FitBit step tracker. They were relatively new then so I was right in the middle of the craze of stepping.

Since I have gotten it this past year I walked over five million steps!! To date I’ve walked over 2,500 miles.

I formed a Facebook group and have over 100 members.

The ironic thing is I’ve achieved most of these steps in my own home while jogging in place in my mudroom. I tried walking outside but didn’t enjoy it. I get my steps now because I changed jobs and now move heavy equipment with mail and drive it to elevators to be loaded onto trucks.

I average 13,000 steps a day now and believe getting this tracker was one of the best investments of my life.

If you are on the fence to get one I would start small and get the least expensive model. If you are a workout enthusiast you might consider getting an advanced model. Either way there are numerous step trackers out there that can assist and motivate you to living a healthier life.

Either way get moving!