10K-a-day: It ain’t easy!

Shaun Fulco and her pedometer

It’s 38 steps around Gay Lyons’ kitchen. It’s 630 steps around the unoccupied space on the 3rd floor of the historic Miller’s Building downtown. It’s about 500 steps around Market Square, depending on how far you go on the TVA end.

Why do I know this? Because for six weeks recently, some friends from Moxley Carmichael and Knoxville Magazine have been participating in what we call a “pedometer challenge.” It started on Valentine’s Day and ended on April Fools’ Day. The goal: walk 10,000 steps a day. Because we are motivated by money, we all put $20 into a pot. The winner would be the person who hit the target the most days during that period. Moxley Carmichael’s CFO, Shaun Fulco, distributed Excel spread sheets for all of us to keep track of our steps each day. And off we went, with our pedometers on our belts.

On the very first day, we lost one of our competitors. Tami Hartmann was wearing her pedometer and walking her two dogs on Nubbins Ridge Road near her house when the dogs’ leashes got tangled up and wrapped around her legs. She fell flat on her face, breaking her nose, blackening her eye, and causing her to miss a day of work. She decided walking 10,000 steps a day wasn’t all that healthy — at least not for her!

Here are some of the things we learned:

• Living and/or working downtown helps. There are a lot of places to walk. And you see all kinds of interesting things. Shaun made it a habit to walk to the river at lunch from our office in the Miller’s Building.
• Having a dog helps (unless you are Tami). Lauren Christ said she developed a better relationship with her two dogs because she took them on more and longer walks.
• It’s easy to get obsessed with this. Lauren’s friends made her take off her dorky pedometer when she was dressed for a fancy party. Gay wore skirts instead of dresses just so she could more easily attach the pedometer. Alan and I ran into Gay on Gay Street at 11:30 one night while we were all trying to get in our 10,000 steps. And Gay trudged around and around the Sheraton in downtown Nashville late one night just to get those steps in.
• Working out is a big help. Getting on the treadmill gets the job done. But, as Lauren learned, you don’t get steps for strength training. But you do for jumping jacks.
• Here’s a tip from Alan: don’t use the intercom at work. Actually walk to people’s offices and talk to them.
• Don’t shoot off your mouth! This lesson was from Janet Testerman. Just as we were getting started, she boasted that she would win because she was in training for a marathon. She wasn’t. But it scared the heck out of all of us and made us even more determined!

We met at the Bistro on Gay Street after the challenge was over to compare our spread sheets and settle up. Ellen Robinson was the winner. She missed her mark only six days. Gay and I tied for second. We both missed 10 days. Alan was third, missing 12 days.

But really, just as our friends at Covenant Health tell you, we were all winners. Ellen lost five pounds. We all felt healthier and like we were doing something that was good for our hearts. In fact, we’ve started a new pedometer challenge. This one ends on Memorial Day. Won’t you join us by getting some friends together and starting a challenge of your own? Click here for a website all about walking. Click here for Covenant Health’s Missy Kane’s healthy living website.

Ellen Robinson, left, was the winner. Tami Hartmann pays up.

Gay Lyons hands over the money.

Janet Testerman, left, and Lauren Christ at the "settle up" party at the Bistro on Gay Street.

Alan was the token male participant.

Shaun had a feeling she wasn't going to win. Here's what her spreadsheet looked like at the "settle up" party! Ha!