Every Step Counts (seriously!!)

Sep 14, 2010

I am frequently asked questions about activities of daily living (ADL’s) and how they play a role in exercise and weight loss.  ADL’s are basically described as activities that you do all day long that keep you moving. Some example ADL’s might be: walking the halls at work, cleaning the house, playing with kids, taking the stairs, etc. Just those everday things you do.  We hear so much about how we should do more of these..."Park farther away..." or "Take the stairs..."  But sometimes we might question...does parking 5 spots away really do anything to help me? 

Sometimes these activities seem pretty insignificant...especially when trying to lose weight.  We often hear about hard-core exercise as the key for weight loss success, but that really isn't the full story.  Yes, an intense bout of exercise is very beneficial for health, physical fitness, and weight loss.  But your daily activities play an important role in all of this too.  Although these activities are not considered “exercise” because they don’t challenge the body as much as needed, they are equally important to focus on and increase when possible.    I once taught a class focusing on this topic. I thought it would be cool to do a little experiment and calculate the amount of calories a person would burn from choosing to do more “active” daily activities. For example, how many calories would you burn if you chose to walk your dog instead of just letting him out in the back yard…or if you decided to park at the back of the lot instead of the front? I knew that the numbers would be different, but I was AMAZED at the difference those moment-by-moment choices can actually make on the amount of calories you burn each day. See for yourself!  

Walking your dog for 20 minutes 86 calories	vs.	Standing while dog roams the yard 54 calories
Taking the stairs 100 calories	vs.	Taking the elevator 9 calories
Play with your kids 360 calories	vs.	Sit and watch kids play 96 calories
Push mower 396 calories	vs.	Riding mower 192 calories
Walking break at work 99 calories	vs.	Coffee break at work 24 calories
Park in the back of lot 34 calories	vs.	Park in the front of the lot 15 calories
Doing light housework while watching TV 260 calories	vs.	Sitting on the couch while watching TV 96 calories
Cooking dinner 240 calories	vs.	Driving thru to get dinner 96 calories

 
TOTALS!
1, 575 calories per day                              vs.         567 calories per day
11, 025 per week                                        vs.         3, 969 per week
47, 250 per month                                     vs.          17, 010 per month   

I calculated these using the tool on www.healthstatus.com for a typical 200lb person doing these various activities for the minutes it would usually take to accomplish them. (anywhere between 5-60 minutes) You can use this tool as well to calculate your daily activities!  

WOW! Pretty amazing, huh? These activities are crucial for burning extra calories throughout the day for weight loss and weight maintenance. The funny thing is…after I taught this class, a lot of people commented that they gained the most weight when they noticeably became less active in daily life…for whatever reason. Have you ever gained weight from getting a desk job?  After a back injury?  Once your kids zapped all your personal time and you became a family limosine?  Well we can put that all behind us now! Because the good news is that if you can gain weight from inactivity….you can lose weight from more activity!   

A great way to know how many ADL’s you are getting in every day is to wear a pedometer. This is an inexpensive little device that counts the amount of steps you take each day. Experts say that it takes 10,000 steps to show that you are being “active” throughout the day. This seems like a lot of steps, especially if you work at a desk all day, but it is a great number to help gauge your activity levels. Even if you aren’t getting close to 10,000 steps each day, wearing a pedometer will help you become more aware of your activity levels and will help you increase them as much as you can.   

Here’s an activity for ya! Purchase a pedometer from any department store (Target, Dick’s, Walmart) or online (www.thepedometercompany.com) and wear it on a typical day without looking at it. At the end of the day, check your steps and see what a typical day looks like for you. Record this number in your journal. Each day after that, try to increase your steps by 100 or more. After awhile, you will get in tune with how much activity it takes for you to stay active!

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! 

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