This year my feet have been BEGGING more for comfortable shoes than ever before. My school moved into a newer (and much bigger) building this fall and I now find myself walking so much more each day than I used to. When school started in August my feet were sore for two weeks. Seriously sore. My first few steps out of bed in the morning during those weeks were rough. My feet would touch the floor and remind me that they were tired from so much walking.
I have finally adjusted to the change. I wear comfy shoes to school and now spend every day on my feet without issue. But those sore feet certainly got me thinking. I had always wondered about how much walking I do in a given school day. This time, I wanted to KNOW. I wanted to measure and calculate it. And feel better about the fact that I never have time to go to the gym and work out. So I hopped on Amazon and ordered the most popular cost-effective pedometer I could find. I set my pedometer to match my stride and began my week of walking at school.
This post is titled "A Week of Walking" but of course I walk every day while I am at school. I wear the pedometer every day as well. The element that made this particular week special was that I took photos and made notes of my daily distance traveled as I prepared to share my findings with you. Now let's get to it!
Crunching the Numbers
Holy cow, I walk a lot in a day! No wonder my feet were so tired during the transition into a new building. Over the course of 5 days, I walked over 12 miles! That's an average of 2.4 miles each day. Here is how it breaks down:
Day 1 - 1.90 miles
Day 2 - 1.91 miles
Day 3 - 3.14 miles
Day 4 - 2.30 miles
Day 5 - 2.77 miles
A Few Quick Notes About My Steps
I'm a little particular (about everything) and during this experiment I was very adamant about only measuring my distance walked AT SCHOOL as part of my work day. I didn't count any of my steps at home or running errands in my daily totals. I kept my pedometer in the car when it was not in use. The minute I pulled up to school in the morning, I slipped the pedometer into my pocket so it could begin to calculate with my very first step in the parking lot toward school. Similarly, the pedometer was the first item I set in my car when I got ready to head for home at the end of the work day. I am not one to exaggerate or embellish. These are my actual steps walked at school.
You'll notice that the milage displayed in the photos of my pedometer doesn't match the total listed for each day. This is because I had to walk back to my car in the parking lot each day after taking the photo (and often do a bit more work in my classroom before I left for home). That extra traveling added more steps to my distance.
I measured my steps for a 5-day work week, not a full 7-day week because (of course) I don't go to work on the weekends.
Pedometer Basics
If you've never used a pedometer, you may be wondering how they work. A bit of it is still a mystery to me, but here's what I know about my pedometer. I used the Omron Pocket Pedometer HJ-113. I selected it specifically because it was designed to fit in a pocket and had excellent reviews. It is a very slim model and fit nicely into my pocket without issues. It also comes with a clip and safety strap for attaching it to a belt or pocket. Somehow this handy little gadget senses motion and uses the motion to calculate the distance walked. It's also smart enough to distinguish between walking and other forms of motion. It does not count the vibrations that occur as a result of riding on a bike or in a car.
The pedometer came with a battery which needed to be installed before I could use it. I also had to calculate my stride length. (This simply required me to measure the distance I cover in talking 10 steps at a normal pace). The last step was to program the time, my weight, and my stride length into the pedometer. The entire process of battery installation, measuring, and programing took about 15 minutes.
Join the Walking Fun
Have you worn a pedometer to school? Do you own one? Are you inspired to purchase one and discover how far YOU walk in a day? If so, please leave a comment sharing your experience! I would love to know how far my fellow educators walk in a day.