Group Actions
Engagement
  • Author Author: dubbie
  • Date Created: Date Created
  • Views 3081 views
  • Likes 9 likes
  • Comments 22 comments
Related
Recommended

100,000 Steps Completed

dubbie

Just finished the Walking Challenge that I set for myself of taking 100,000 steps outside in 10 days. I actually managed it in only 9 days. It has been more of a struggle than I imagined, mainly because I think my step counter only counts 'some' of my steps. I've raised some money for Zimbabwe (http://www.paraclete.org.uk/), enjoyed getting up at 6.30am and going for a walk. I think I will continue to get up early - as long as it is light.

 

Although the step counter was low cost I was still disappointed with it's performance. I think that it missed between 25% - 33% of my steps, all taken outside. It uses a ball making contact with connectors to identify when a step has taken place, with some electronic wizardry that performs some sort of filtering as it only updates every few steps. I am assuming that it is optimised for some standard walking frequency (perhaps even gait?) with the ball and contacts designed to this resonant frequency. I am probably not achieving that standard pace as I do walk very slowly (always have).

 

I am tempted to take it apart now that I have finished the challenge but fear I may not be able to put it together again! Not that I intend to use it again - at least not before consuming more cake calories than I have used up (apparently only 668 kCal! so only one cake).

 

As the UK seems about to enter the Lockdown phase or Covid-19 I might not be able to get much more walking in so now I am thinking I might make my own walking treadmill. There was some activity about this idea on element14 many years ago but has anyone done anything recently?

 

Dubbie

 

  • Hi Dave,

     

    Your estimate of steps per time aligns with mine. this is about 3 miles per hour for my stride. I took my numbers for today and did the math and I have 3.578 k steps in 30 minutes average. One of the things I like to do when I walk is to try to calculate different math problems in my head. How many meters per second am I traveling?, How long is an average city block in feet? If I widen my step by 3 inches how many fewer steps will my walk take?, etc. This makes the time go faster and helps to keep the gears in the head as well oiled as the joints in my legs ( I hope).

     

    John

  • in reply to jw0752

    The Omron device shows up a little cheering figure after the 10k count has been reached. Although after 35k then I think it's perhaps trying to get your attention to stop...

     

    Apparently there was no real scientific evidence behind the 10k per day recommendation that has since stuck. However I did watch a documentary where the conclusion was that if everyone that could did 30mins brisk walking a day, then the nation's overall health would improve significantly and dramatically reduce the strain on health services. From my experience 30mins is just over 3k steps.

     

    As well as its physical benefits it can also be good for clearing the head mentally. It's also great for learning to listen to the sounds around you again which have often been blocked out by the brain due to the modern lifestyle. 

  • in reply to beacon_dave

    "...I recall the Ben Heck Show did something similar for Karen's costume episode to detect certain punches and kicks..."

    Ahh... here it is:

     

    Episode 257: Ben Heck's Halloween Superhero Wearables Part 1: Development Episode

     

    At about 12mins in Ben starts looking at the sensor data, soon to be accompanied by his Superhero accomplice.

  • I also endorse the benefit of walking each day. The wife and I usually take a 5 km walk in the morning and then I go out after dark and walk another 5 km between 10PM and Midnight. It has been a challenge lately as this is the first year I have attempted to do this in our winter months which at times are quite brutal here in Wisconsin. Thanks to some good ski and winter gear it has been possible though. I have found that an app on my phone works very well for counting my steps. I have run a couple of spot checks to see how accurate it is and I have been completely satisfied. It also keeps track of long term trends and interesting statistics as well as providing an audio cheer when I check it after meeting the daily goal of 10k steps. Keep up your walking Dubbie as it helps to keep you a few "steps" ahead of the Reaper.

     

    John

  • in reply to dubbie

    Yes, no clicking of the ball bearing in this one. I used to have a ball bearing one but I always thought it was useless until the ball freed itself one day and it started working as expected.

     

    Does your circuit vary in height much - just wondering if leaning forward or backward to compensate for a gradient has an impact on the counting. Where you wear it might make a difference too - clipped to your shoe might generate a more accurate response than to your belt. The Omron appears to work the same if it's in a trouser pocket, on a belt or in a jacket pocket.

     

    My main walking exercise circuit is a lap around the work perimeter before lunchtime, so around 3,000 steps at a brisk continual pace, which the Omron logs as aerobic activity. I've had similar results in both directions and it is pretty consistent day-to-day apart from the eight months or so where I was auditioning for the 'Ministry of Silly Walks' due to injury. In hindsight, not sure if this was the best idea or not after looking at the uneven wear pattern on the sole of my boots. image

     

    The data is limited from mine but I do still log the step count. It was helpful to see if I was recovering any or not month-to-month. It would be nice to get more info and a data dump. Stride length is a setting, but if you want to use the measured distance then you need to keep an even stride.

     

    A DIY device would be interesting however not sure about the calculation of the step pulse. I recall the Ben Heck Show did something similar for Karen's costume episode to detect certain punches and kicks.