I was just reading my RSS feeds and this blog Bits of Wisdom shared some trivia that the average person walks 35,000 miles in a lifetime. So of course this got me wondering if I'm average. I walk for exercise, along with biking - as they are both low impact activities good for old people like me and dear. The 37F air this morning made me feel old because it appears that this will be a no ride month for the bicycle. I have not had it past the driveway due to the cold weather. Quite depressing. Also our walking has been curtailed due to the "boot" that dear is still wearing 13 weeks after his motorcycle collision.
So, normally in the good old days we used to walk 10,000 steps a day which is about 5 miles. We did this an average of 5 days of week, so 20 days a month at 5 miles is about 100 miles a month. However, it has decreased to about 40 miles a month the last 3 months, so this year the total will be close to 1000 miles walked for me. That means it would take 35 years for me to walk 35,000 miles. I figure I probably have been active since I was a teenager so I probably already have my 35,000 miles under my belt and am on my way to walking more than the average person. This does not surprise me, as I live a healthy active life. In addition to my walking 1000 miles this year, I have also ridden my bike 1500 miles to work this year. Its not quite as much as I would have liked to, but acceptable and an improvement over last year.
So, 1000 miles walking and 1500 miles biking is a lot of self propelled mileage. But where the heck did that get me? You would think I would be skinny by now with all that exercise. But one thing I've learned for sure, is that I get hungry when I exercise. I consume a lot more food and enjoy it. However, due to the decline in exercise the last quarter of the year, I have gained some weight and this is not good. The evil scale will make a reappearance next year I'm sure as I chronicle my efforts to once again get back into those petite jeans.
Anyway, it would be interesting for you to figure out how much you walk and if you're above average, or if you need to start hoofing it.
