Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

The following article has the lofty goal of convincing you that a pedometer can be as fun as a video game:

• Steps Across America – How To Make Your Pedometer As Fun As A Video Game

Here is their list of ways to make walking with a pedometer fun:

• For the person who likes to compete: Keep track of the number of steps you walk every day. Strive to beat that number on a daily basis. If you’re extremely competitive, challenge your children and spouse to a Step Off.

• For the person with chameleon-like tendencies: Put a series of numbers ranging from 8,500 to 14,000 in a hat. Each morning, pull a new number and commit to walking that many steps before you go to bed that evening.

• For the person who can’t seem to get over the past: Walk one thousand extra steps a day for all of those ex-boyfriends and girlfriends you can’t seem to get over. After walking for half the day, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll be over what’s-his-name.

• For the person who likes to show off: Purchase pedometers in several different colors and match them to your purse, sunglasses, and designer trainers.

• For the person who collects too much stuff: Clip on your pedometer and count your steps as you collect all of the unused things gathering dust around your home. Walk each item to the local Goodwill one at a time.

I don’t know about you, but none of these ideas really make me feel like they would make walking with a pedometer as fun as being in a video game. Here are my ideas to boost the fun in your walking.

• Walk Across Your State: Get a large map for your wall and some pushpins. Measure the miles from one end of the state to the other. Each day, move your pushpin a little further across your state based on the miles you walked on your pedometer. After you conquer your state, get a map of your country.

• Create A Wall Chart For Your Mileage: Just like the telethons who mark how much money they’ve earned, set a goal for mileage and each day, fill in the chart with the mileage you walked. When the chart is full, reward yourself.

• Use Time As Your Goal: Give yourself a limited amount of time to exercise every day and try to earn more miles within that time frame each week.

Video games are fun because there are clear goals to accomplish and you KNOW when you’ve achieved them. With a walking or running exercise regime, it’s hard to tell if you’re successful if you don’t set goals. The goals for video games are artificial, but that doesn’t make the game less fun. The same can be true for walking or running. Set some artificial goals, whether it’s walking across your state or increasing your distance, you will know when you’ve beat the game when you achieve them.