Walking 10,000 steps every day

They walked for a few yards, till Shanti stopped to check the device round her neck.'Heart rate monitor, she said apologetically. 'I try to keep my hear working , but not too hard. You don't mind, do you?' ( p117)

Shanti's device reminds me of the step counter that was gifted to me several years ago.It was a step counter which you are supposed to hook onto your trouser belt . This then proceeds to count the steps that you've taken the whole day, the target being 10,000 steps every day.

Walking a 10,000 steps doesn't seem too hard does it? After all, if you answer the door bell, you have to walk, if you need to get water from the fridge , you have to walk, so on and so forth.

I happily hooked it on to my belt and began the day. I tried hard to resist peeking at the counter but made an extra effort to walk more than I normally did. After lunch, when I cleared the table and walked to the kitchen sink with them ( something I normally never do!) to have those extra stepts registered on the counter, I couldn't help but have a look. I was amazed to find that I had only done 1,000 steps!!!

I took off the counter in disgust and decided to only use it to count the steps when I walked round the Race Course.

The next evening, I put on the counter as soon as I reached the Race Course and briskly did my two rounds. Once again, I looked at the counter and was sadly disappointed to find that I was 3000 steps short of the required 10,000 mark. Never mind, I thought, I should increase my rounds to two more and that should meet my goal.

I re-set the counter to zero and kept the counter in my bag. When I took it out of the bag to keep in my cupboard, I realised that the counter had moved! I shook it and found that it moved even more! So that's how the steps were counted and I could easily get to 10,000 steps without moving one foot in front of the other but just shaking the counter in my hand!

p.s. This image is just representational of the step counter that I actually have. I am in no way alleging that this gadget is not useful