Last year I set a goal to compete in the WSCA Champ Show on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
One part to achieving that goal was to be a more physically fit rider.
For nine months I pushed myself to ride daily, and as a result, I achieved that goal and brought one of those big prize ribbons home.
Goal accomplished.
Now as the weather warms up, I’m finding I’m fitting a little tighter in the saddle.
In the eight months since the show season ended, I’ve been ensconced on the couch, and the inactivity now shows — those show clothes are fitting a little snug.
As a result, I’ve taken up a goal of walking 7,500 steps a day. This count includes doing everyday tasks like walking to the car, working all day and doing daily chores.
My iPhone dutifully counts all my steps.
The number — 7,500 — comes from my newly purchased AARP membership.
The AARP officials point to a 2017 Stanford University that stated 10,000 steps is a daunting number (I would agree) and that the effective benefit of daily movement peaked at 7,500 steps. While taking more steps is beneficial, the benefit of decreased mortality was ultimately achieved at the more modest 7,500 steps a day.
I thought, “How hard would it be to walk the equivalent of 3.7 miles a day?”
Turns out it’s harder than I thought.
For the past 30 days I’ve fallen far short of the magical 7,500 daily steps.
My average over the last 30 days has been 4,648 steps a day. My lowest (842 on a Saturday) and my highest (10,740 on a Thursday) appear to be weather influenced. I reached my daily step goal three times in 30 days.
That doesn’t mean I’m a total failure, but I’m far from the gold medal performance I was hoping for.
I’ve started riding regularly again, and when I used to count steps using a Fitbit, I regularly reached 8,000 steps, my goal at that time. Of course, the Fitbit used to count the horse’s steps, too.
The iPhone is a little harder to cheat. It doesn’t count the horse’s steps or my leg movements during the time period I am in the saddle.
Because the iPhone is honest, I must be realistic too — I’ve ordered a size larger riding pants — just in case those fitness step numbers don’t add up.