Oregon Scientific Pedometer Disappoints

Earlier today I picked up an Oregon Scientific Pedometer and after taking over half an hour to figure it out, I set out with 12000 set on the counter which then counted backwards, presumably until I reach zero. Well, a friend of mine warned me about his wildly innaccurate $100 talking pedometer and I told him that mine was pretty simple and seemed to be pretty accurate for around 12 bucks. But my Sportline broke today and I thought it would be a chance for me to find one with a more resilient hinge. Really, the counter on the Sportline was still working except that you need it to STAY on your belt for the counter to work. I really didn't like the hinge breaking, which reminded me how cheap this device was and I thought about getting what you pay for. So I bought one that looked sturdier and even had a panic alarm, just in case.

My guess is that Oregon Scientific might have too many people on their design team who miss the forest for the trees or who don't keep their eye on the ball or something like that. I should have seen the handwriting on the wall when it took me so long to get through the instructions. And there is a section titled IMPORTANT FOR ACCURACY which says this:

The following conditions may cause incorrect reading of steps taken:

1) Uneven walking pace, such as walking in crowded areas or on uneven floor.

2) Frequent up and down movements, such as standing up and/or sitting down; running, jumping or ascending/descending stairs or steep slopes.

Give me a break! Human beings are going to use these devices, not robots. I am looking for a SOLUTION to the challenge of counting my steps. I can go around a track and figure out how many of my steps add up to a quarter mile (approximately - I know I'm not adjusting for metric). But what I want is the solution to my challenge or problem. If a guy followed me around with a camera and worked out through math (maybe trig?) how far I'm walking, that would be a solution. If someone used global positioning to figure it out, that would work. I doubt if I could get people to do that for free and wouldn't it be simpler to just attach something to my body to keep track of my steps which I can convert to miles? OK. But there is a catch. The device has to WORK! I don't really care about the bells and whistles. I want something that works, first and foremost. I think the Oregon Scientific people have lost sight of this with this model. That has been my experience so far. I don't know how many they sell. Maybe people don't care about accuracy. Maybe their doctor tells them to go get exercise and they can give a number to their spouse, family, and medical professional and get them off their back. Well, not me. I want to know that this pedometer or step counter is in the ballpark and as good looking as this device is, so far it's not even close. So I'll have an asterisk on today's walking distance when I record it. I don't want them to replace it with another one that works the same way, I want it to work after I spend half an hour learning how to press all the buttons correctly. I simply want it to work the first time and every time until it wears out 5000 miles from now. I'll be generous and give it a D.

Now, don't give up. Hang in there. I'll get a better device and even keep trying a bit to see if I have done something wrong to the PE828, but I don't think I have done anything wrong to cause it to be wildly innaccurate. I want the thingamajig to sit on my belt and work, just like the Sportline did before it broke.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

(Even if your pedometer breaks and you don't keep track accurately.)

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Click on the title of this post to visit FreeRice.com and help the hungry while you learn something and maybe entertain yourself.

Rainy Super Bowl Sunday

There was so much going on today and at this hour I'm really quite tired and need to get up early tomorrow. We had rain and wind together today and that's unusual for Southern California. We had the sister-in-law visiting and the son coming back from winter camp. It just never stopped after we left the house this morning. We had fun at our Super Bowl party, but we didn't get a lot of walking in. This is the first time in about a month that my total is under an hour's worth of walking. I will simply get back on the horse tomorrow. Go Giants! You read it here first:

The Giants Are Giant-Killers.

I am walking. (More tomorrow!) You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click on the title of this post to see the actual numbers that I'm logging at Lime.com.

Walking With My Honey On The Beach

We parked near Heritage Hall and walked to my newfound stairs down to the beach in Carlsbad and I took off my shoes. Marianne and I walked on the beach together in February(!). I realized this was the first time I've walked on sand in a while and it is incredibly gentle compared to concrete and asphalt. We walked with waves alongside. She said the waves in Florida were bigger when she was there recently for the Avatar seminar. She had a great time and I'm glad she's back.

Soon we walked up the ramp to street level and continued on to Fresco Trattoria. Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't open until 4:30 on Saturday. So we walked a little further to Las Olas and shared a carnitas burrito plate. There was an antique luxury car parked outside ten feet or so from where we were eating on the patio. I thought it might be a Pierce Arrow, but I can't find a picture that matches the hood ornament I saw today. We enjoyed lunch on the sidewalk (almost) and then walked back past the Episcopal Church to our car. The whole walk was less than two miles. We had a nice time together because it was Saturday and I wanted to share with my honey a place I like to take a walk.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click on the title of this post to visit Fresco Trattoria and remember FreeRice.com.

Getting Naked Gets Attention

Walking is good for a lot of things. (Nakedness comes later.) I remembered just a little while ago how good it is for cooling you down when you get agitated. I was not happy after I found out that I couldn't buy the workbook for my son's French class without buying the textbook, which a friend loaned him. Actually, I could potentially order it online, but he needs it NOW. So I bought the whole deal because the owner of the off campus bookstore refused to break up the set. His reasoning was that the instructor didn't order workbooks separately so why should he? He did give me $10 off because I pointed out that he took in used French books and resold them, so the people buying those would need new workbooks that weren't previously written in. I assume he will make a change next semester and have those available. We'll see. The total was under $200.00! Anyway...

I walked about 3/4 of a mile when I got back to Palomar College before I ended up in the computer room and the walk did cool me down considerably. My son popped in in the middle of this post and I'm completing it from home.

You might be thinking, ok, but what about the nakedness? I'm not walking naked, if that's what you're wondering. I was just trying to get your attention just like Lime.com got my attention with their email. At first I thought it was spam, but then I saw that it was from the "healthy living with a twist" people. It involves Victoria Beckham and if you're curious, click on the title of this post. She's supporting a cause by getting naked. Please don't peek if you're easily offended. Just move along...nothing to see here.

Two Average Days

Earlier this week I got off to quite a start with two record-setting days in a row. Starting the day before yesterday, I moderated my walking. By comparison to the record-setting pace of Monday and Tuesday, these last two days are average days. BUT, my average days are getting bigger. Both of these "average" days are five miles long. That's almost 20% more walking than my average day of a few weeks ago. Not too shabby.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Yesterday Big Man Walking had a photo of three friends from my Toastmasters club. A fourth Toastmaster friend, Christine Burke, owner of La Costa Fitness Together, sent me an email that started like this-

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unstoppable!

I'm thoroughly impressed! Congratulations on finishing the Carlsbad Half-Marathon!
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SO, that photo is the finish of 13.1 miles that these women completed together. I'll mention one of them at a time in my posts. The one in the middle wearing 3222 is Linda Bedrosian. If you meet Linda, she will probably tell you how much she has gotten out of Toastmasters in the last few years. She's fun, creative, resilient and kind and she designs and crafts very, very nice jewelry especially for you. Her website is JewelryoftheEmpire.com.

Visit Linda's site as well as clicking on the title of this post to visit FreeRice.com.

Who Are These Women Of Victory?

Speed Golf

Meeting this morning with John and Peter. We meet just about every Thursday and today Peter, who's a Callaway employee pro, told me about a speed golf game he played. I understand that walking isn't for everybody even though just about everybody can do it. And I know that even if you're not walking miles extra every day, you can walk extra steps every hour. That being said, maybe something like speed golf is your thing. I think Peter is unusual in this game because he's a highly skilled golfer and an o.k. athlete and I hear it's usually a not-so-great golfer who's a better-than-average athlete playing speed golf.

Yesterday he played 37 holes with about a dozen guys before work by hitting the ball and jogging after it on a local executive course. Peter says an executive course has shorter holes that range from 80 to 260 yards. I haven't been a golfer in the past, but this sounds like it could be for me after I drop about 25 pounds. If you're busy and you're a beginner at golf and/or just starting an exercise program, you'll have to be the judge on whether you're ready for this. It sounds like fun to me. Tomorrow these local guys are having their Intergalactic Championship or something like that and they'll be running amok for 18 holes, presumably before work again. We all need exercise. Is this for you?

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Last night at Reality Changers the speaker mentioned FreeRice.com as a great place to expand your vocabulary as you help people in need, so the word is getting around. Click on the title of this post to visit a speed golf site.

Early Start Pays Off

Yesterday I started off with a three and a half mile walk. I kept adding to that base and hit a record 10 miles for the day less than one month into my new year's resolution! That's all I have to say...except...(Use a pedometer...)

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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As always, I recommend that you visit and help out while you exercise your brain cells at FreeRice.com. Tell someone you know about TheBigManWalking.blogspot.com or FreeRice.com or both. Do it now!

And, I ran across an interesting site called EcoGeek.org which is at the intersection of nature and technology and if you like to write, click on the title of this post.

7 Miles Walked Before 1

This morning I got an ambitious start by going down a long hill and by the time I turned around and started up I had gone nearly two miles. The hill has what seems like an increasing grade for .7 miles and that's a pretty good hill! I got to the top and my breathing testified to the work involved. I kept going to cool down and ended up doing 3.5 miles before 8:30. Other tasks up until right now have taken me another three and a half miles and the dog still hasn't done his thing. Soon it will be time for us to leave for soccer and I should get some laps around that field, so this looks like another big day. I am a little tired right now, but body tired, not brain tired. Plus, I checked the scale this morning and I was at 121.2 kilos, which means I lost another .7 kilos (or 1.54 pounds) again this week. Time for lunch!

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Nine Miles In One Day

Big Man. Walking. Cold Rainy Day. New Daily RECORD. 9.25 miles.

For the most part I waited until the rain subsided. Definitely feels good - a good kind of tired.

Below is a table of the first four weeks of walking in 2008. The numbers are minutes and 20 minutes translates to a mile on Lime.com.


01/01/08 72 53 70 27 40 126 123
01/08/08 100 82 108 101 100 70 142
01/15/08 105 125 111 145 124 67 116
01/22/08 177 73 145 104 108 124 185

The chart starts on Tuesday and ends on Monday. Looks like Wednesday is the most challenging day to get my walking in and that makes sense given my schedule. I volunteer with Reality Changers on Wednesday nights in addition to picking our son up from soccer, so I probably don't walk much after 5 pm. Monday is the most prolific day. Two new records on Mondays and all four Mondays are in triple digits. My weekly totals are 511, 703, 793, and 916, so I have increased my total every week.

Keeping track allows me to see my progress and make comparison as well as gain insights into how or why, just like my realization about Wednesdays. If I choose, I can make sure I get up early Wednesday to get a good start so that I have lots of walking in before I pick up Stuart from soccer. I was able to keep track because I have a pedometer. It's not perfect, but I do think my pedometer is consistent. I have a friend who said he tried using a pedometer once and it was wildly inaccurate and he found that frustrating. My suggestion is to get a different pedometer. You can do it just like I am doing it. Keep reading and tell a friend who can use the encouragement.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

8 Miles Before 5

I am reminded of some song lyrics and I can't quite remember the whole song or the title, but here they are:

Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am...wait a minute, NOW I remember. OK, so I'm not WOMAN, but I did walk eight miles before five in the evening and it feels great. Still, they're inspirational and motivational lyrics and they were sung decades before (Was it before she was born?) that hot country gal sang that other song they have in that truck commercial. But, I digress...

I laid the foundation for a big day by getting a three mile walk in with the dog before I picked up our son, Stuart, from calculus class. What I have found helpful for me is by getting several miles in early, I can add to that a little at a time. Once I get beyond about three and a half miles total, I just want to keep going a little more even if it means walking while I wait for the Pick Up Stix order. That's what I did a little while ago. Instead of sitting there NOT TALKING to the other person waiting (Thank you, George Carlin...) for their order, I got up and told the kid who waited on me that I would be going for a walk and I would definitely be back. Little "bits" of walking here and there add up.

I want to remind you that I'm walking as a long term strategy to lose weight and feel better. My goals for the year are to lose 50 pounds of fat and gain 10 pounds of muscle. I will probably move on to bigger stuff later, but for now I'm simply walking to show that you can do it and that it produces results. However, I KNOW that billions and billions (Thank you, Carl Sagan...) of people can walk and so I'm here to encourage you and show you all the ways [strategies] you can walk short and long distances. There's nothing wrong with walking on a treadmill, but if you confine yourself to that, you might be missing out on some good exercise time in places you didn't expect.

I ran (walked?) into a neighbor and while our dogs were playing, I told him about my progress for the year and the Big Man Walking blog. He thought that was great and said that he used to run. And that is the point, really. Lots of people USED TO run. Walking is for just about everybody and as long as you don't try to prove how incredible you are through incredible feats of walking when you're not ready, walking is less likely to injure you, in my opinion. If you're not injured, you can walk and if you CAN walk, you're much less likely to say that you USED TO walk as many former runners say. (I have nothing against running, IF your body is ready for it.) I strongly suggest that you will get more exercise or at least create more long-lasting exercise habits if you do something that won't put you on the injured list. Recovery time? What if you don't have to recover in the first place? Walk. Just put one foot in front of the other. And keep track because it's motivating to see what you were doing and what you're doing now.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

(Oh, and...use a pedometer.)

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Click on the title of this post to help the hungry in an amazingly simple way at FreeRice.com.

I Walked The Whole Thing!

Several years ago we noticed that a grade school friend of my son's lived waaayy down Unicornio street. I held on to that concept of their house being far away and never really measured it. If the distance to their house was a long way, then the distance all the way to the end of Unicornio MUST be a really long walk and the round trip, by extension, must be in the neighborhood of 4-6 miles, or so I thought. Their house is near the bottom of the hill and the walk is pleasant enough, but the walk back is not as fun uphill. When you add the steep uphill grade past their house, you've got a real walk.

When I started out a few weeks ago I drove to the area near their house and walked to the end of the street and back to the area near my car, proud of myself for overshooting and having to circle back to the Buick. I mentally declared my intention that day to walk from our house to the end of Unicornio and back "a couple months from now". I figured that I could come back every Sunday or so and park a little closer to our house and gradually make the walk longer. I thought I would do the whole walk sometime between late February and early April. Since then I have walked up to 4 miles or so in a single "walk" and my perception of what's possible has changed.

First, I realized that the walk down Unicornio might not be as long as I thought because of several walks I took in the area. I wasn't exactly sure how long it was, but I was confident I could do it. Second, I have done some of my walking up and down hills instead of just walking in relatively flat areas. After walking Mellow about half a mile for his daily constitutional, I decided to drop my jacket off at home along with the dog and went right back out alone in the cool air and bright sunshine. The first part was the easiest as I went from flat to downhill and then it changed pretty quickly to the steep uphill grade and that was taxing. I tend to walk at a pretty steady pace, so the uphill walk really made me work and I remember thinking "I'm not even halfway there yet!" My son was at church and my honey was in Florida. I had no cell phone. My car was at home. I knew as I kept walking that I was creating more work for my body as long as I had not yet reached the end of the street. I want to be clear that I was confident I could do this because of my experience walking over the past weeks. I know some people urge you to really go for it and that does work in many contexts, but knowing what you have been achieving recently or previously is a big help in deciding how big a bite you can chew.

My first priority is minimizing the possibility for injuring my body. That doesn't mean I can take all the risk out of the exercise. I am large and living that way is a risk in itself. The reason I want to minimize the possibility of injury is simple:
I want to keep walking and walking and walking. I don't want to put my body out of commission for a couple days or even a week or more. I'm not saying that my way is the only way. I value the ability to keep going and going and going day after day.

So now you know that this walk was a realistic goal on this day and not completely beyond what I had done previously. My biggest victory besides being able to honestly say that I had done it was the mental challenges I overcame. After I made it past the halfway point I knew that every step was literally bringing me closer to home, closer to my goal. Once I was past the steepest portion, the way home was uphill but at a more gradual pace. Along the way I had peeked at my pedometer and realized that the whole trek was not as long as my most conservative estimate. Upon reaching home I saw the this trip down Unicornio and the little streets to get there was only 2.6 miles! This had been a LONG street in my mind for years. Even starting out weeks ago when I realized my intention was to conquer it, I had no idea that I would do it before the end of January! I slayed the dragon. You can slay your dragons, too. Now I need to find bigger dragons to slay.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.