To work from home but still walk 10,000 steps per day?

My struggle with motivation – „have to“ versus „want to“

Most of us know or have heard that in order to support our health we should take 8,000 – 10,000 steps per day, which certainly is an easier task for those of us living in a big city and an easier task for those of us not working from home.

I know. I work from home.

Perhaps you, too, came across the article in The New Yorker titled “I work from home” (if not you can read it here). I certainly found myself nodding my head a few times reading the article. But as a health nut, I actually came across another problem not mentioned – lack of activity. On motivated days I’d go for a quick run or hit the gym but on many days I had no real reason to leave my house (except for my clients).

How would I take 8,000 or God forbid 10,000 steps if I had no (real, pertinent) reason to leave my house (I don’t have any children, don’t own a dog)?

Knowing I work from home, being aware of my lack of activity, I decided to track my steps. I thought this should motivate me to go out for a walk, particularly on cold, dreary fall and winter days.

 

Step counter apps 

A variety of online step counter apps exist allowing us to keep track of our daily steps. Based on our preferences, we can track our steps in km, miles, minutes and/or just steps, depending on what motivates you more and what is less abstract to you.

I decided on a pedometer, and since I didn’t want to include the steps I took in my home I only wore it when leaving the house. That meant I had to leave the house in order to take any (countable) steps.

I live in a big city. A safe city, so it’s easy to walk. I just needed to step outside my front door. But just to walk without a purpose? In the middle of the day? I had better things to do; after all I had to work even if it was from home.

Like many people, I was self-motivated, enthusiastic and committed. I, vigilantly, wore my pedometer and checked my daily step count. 2,000 steps to run errands, 1,300 steps to the grocery store, 5,000 steps for a 40 minute walk.

Great, but how do I increase my steps? Another trip to the grocery store? I didn’t want to eat more, I wanted to move more but walking without purpose when it was cold, grey and windy outside wasn’t enjoyable either. Neither felt it great to walk without purpose when lots of work was sitting on my desk.

Walk 10,000 steps per day

Clearly, I needed to change my behavior and establish a few supportive habits otherwise I’d never meet my goal of 10,000 steps per day.

 

The pedometer kept me accountable, at first. I would walk everywhere. Chose the grocery store that was further away and sometimes split my grocery shopping between two stores. Scheduled meetings further away just so I could walk more. I would go for random walks, using them as breaks from work to clear my head. On busy days that often backfired; I was more worried about time “wasted” walking and the deadlines I had to meet. Walking on these days was contributing to my stress level instead of relieving it. Other days, I met my friends for walks and got in the habit of walking home on nights out, instead of using mass transit.

But with time walking became a chore; something I had to do. I needed to meet my goal of 10,000 steps per day. With time, increasing work commitment and arrival of cold winter season it became more and more difficult to walk and to find the motivation to walk.

Walk 10,000 steps per day

Why even walk? I didn’t really feel any benefit. Just like flossing my teeth it was something I felt I had to do.

 

The pedometer lost its sparkle. I recognized a shift in my attitude. I started to care less how much I actually walked. Sometimes I’d even forget the pedometer. It didn’t seem to matter. I lost my motivation. Like with all things, life took over and I fell back into my old habits.

Even research is mixed on the long term effects of such apps in terms of successful behaviour change. For me, something needed to change as this clearly didn’t work. I knew I needed to move more but 10,000 steps didn’t motivate me.

 

Why apps might not support us in taking 10,000 steps per day

For many of us, in spite of their ability to hold us accountable, these step counter apps don’t change our behaviour. Initially, we take 8,000 – 10,000 steps per day, and then just manage 8,000 then barley 7,000 steps per day. Before we know it, we ignore the app all together, and I hadn’t left my house in 2 days. On these days, clearly, I perhaps didn’t even take 500 steps!

Yet, why did I lose my motivation; why do we lose our motivation? The apps or pedometers are an easy tool. We are in control. Walking is simple. Nearly anyone can do it, anytime, anywhere. So what is it? Because:

  • 8,000 – 10,000 steps per day don’t motivate us?
  • it’s to abstract?
  • we don’t feel the benefits? And by not feeling the benefits, the effort isn’t worth it?
  • it’s too time consuming?
  • we lack the fun component?
  • it feels like a chore, and let’s be honest, we don’t like chores?

(By the way, 10,000 steps are approximately 6.6km if you are 5’3 (1.6m) or 7.6km if you are 6’0 (1.8m) which can take, based on speed, anywhere from 1 – 2 hours to walk.)

Yes, I could have asked more of my friends to walk with me, to turn it into a social gathering which did work on weekends. But during the week, with everyone having a different schedule and different commitments it just wasn’t feasible.

 

Walking is healthy, and we know it

benefits of walking, table, listBut we know it’s healthy. Walking is exercise, is enjoyable and provides many benefits.

Yes, the benefits are great but I didn’t experience them; I was (and am) healthy. Yes, walking is stress relieving and allows us to clear our head but knowing I still had to walk or had only taken 4,000 steps and it was already 7pm created stress. Having to walk while I had other more urgent work-related matters to complete didn’t allow me to clear my head either. To the contrary, I would think about what I still needed to complete.

A walk on the weekends in the woods or in the evening through the streets of Vienna is of course a different experience. Here, I too can relax and enjoy the environment and activity. But more often than not walking 80 min (it takes me approx. 80 min to take 10,000 steps) felt like a task, particularly if I didn’t take any short walking breaks during the day (which were the days on which I didn’t need to dash into the grocery store and my desk was piled with work). So, walking became yet another task in a time strapped lifestyle.

Walk 10,000 steps per day

So if step count (or distance or time walked) didn’t motivate me, what would?

 

What might motivate you – a change in thinking

Like many of you, I am weight and health conscious. And since I seemed to be missing more and more of my workouts (due to work and other commitments) I needed something.

I started to consider walking as exercise and the caloric expenditure, instead of steps, incurred by walking.

WHY?

By viewing it as source of energy expenditure I was more motivated. I could have cared less if I had taken 10,000 steps or walked 7 km, but knowing I just burnt off 500 kcal, the same energy I might have gotten from the bag of nuts which I soo mindlessly (and not proudly) snack while working on my laptop, motivated me.

WHY?

I didn’t want to gain weight – it’s as simple as that.

Many of us either want to lose weight or stay at healthy weight, and understanding that we expend anywhere between 400 – 600 kcal (contingent of course on a variety of factors such as weight, muscle mass, age,…) by walking 10,000 steps, you too might be more inclined to walk more.

Walk 10,000 steps per day

“Walking 10,000 steps burns as much energy as some people burn while working out at a gym.”

 

If you view it as exercise, as the activity to support your weight perhaps you can make it part of your day, too. This doesn’t mean you should neglect other weight-bearing and high intensity workouts but it does mean you don’t need to hit the gym every day or beat yourself up over a few missed workouts.

Now, particularly on days I didn’t work out or on days I know my energy expenditure was really low I would go for a walk, not for the health benefits – yes they are great – but for the ability to control my weight by at least achieving energy balance.

 

Is it still a chore? YES – BUT I’m someone who likes to eat, I admit it. Food is my friend but now I view walking as my opportunity to achieve energy balance, to increase my energy expenditure, to control my weight.

 

But don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can automatically eat more just because you are walking. Walking will burn energy, yes, but if your normal meals and snacks already provide you with more energy than you expend, and now you’ll treat yourself to even more food you will continue to gain weight. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to increase your energy expenditure and ability to once in a while indulge in something you enjoy. After all, 500 kcal isn’t a whole lot.

How much is it? 2 cookies OR a large Dunkaccino from Dunkin Donuts OR 16oz Café Latte (2%) and a Michigan Cherry Oat Bar from Starbucks OR a Double Fudge Brownie with Icing from Panera Bread.

And those of you who think your 1 hour gym session is enough to increase your energy expenditure listen up. Many of us are lazy and inactive the rest of the day giving us sometimes even lower daily energy expenditure than had we not worked out! Don’t compensate!

I have found my motivation to walk more. What will motivate you?

 

What does science say?

Technically, I should have known that step count alone wouldn’t work for me. „Have to“ compared to „want to“ will almost always fail, particularly if the activity takes effort and requires resources.

Although I had autonomy over my behavior (when and where I’d walk) and autonomy is generally a critical component to enjoy an experience, on many days walking felt like a chore. (E. Deci & R. Ryan, see Self-Determination Theory)

Something I „had to“ do which of course failed to motivate me. Perhaps because the trade off seemed to expensive. If I have had more free time to walk I would have enjoyed it but walking daily 10,000 steps had no significance for me without the aspect of energy expenditure and weight control. After all, weight I did not want to gain!

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, feel free to like and comment.

Other articles you might like:

Just start – beginning a new behavior and role of motivation

Factors affecting weight loss – it isn’t just hormones

Veröffentlicht in Behavior, awareness, society und verschlagwortet mit , , .

2 Kommentare

  1. Pingback: Physical inactivity- do we need to be whipped into shape or ...... Dr. Yvi Schroeder, CPT

  2. Pingback: Keep the weight off for real - secret tips to not gaining it back • Fitness trainer & health coach, Wien - Fit & Fabulous with Coach Yvi

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