Can 10k steps banish the chub?

Image courtesy http://reginanuzzo.com/?tag=walking

I just went online to Amazon.com and bought a pedometer for James and I. I've been thinking about an idea I heard about a long time ago which says that you should try to get 10,000 steps in each day. According to The Walking Site, the average person gets only 1,000-3,000 a day in. Yikes!

It is estimated that 10,000 steps is roughly 5 miles per day. That's a lot of walking! Let's face it, to go from 1,000 or so to 10,000 is a bit of a stretch. But, going from 1,000 to 3,000 in a week and increasing it by 1,000 each week to build up to 10,000 is totally doable. So who's with me?

First, if you don't have a pedometer yet, get one. Here is an article about how to buy pedometers and some of the best out there. The one I bought is the Omron HJ-112 Pedometer and I got it for $30 each with free shipping from Amazon.com. I ordered mine today and hopefully it will be here so I can get started next week. 

I am throwing down a challenge here on the Chubby Girls Diary. Do you think you can get to 10k steps? How much weight do you think you'd lose doing it? Want to win a free prize for getting healthy? Here are the details:

10k steps to banish the chub will begin on July 12 - two weeks from today. If you'd like to get in on the challenge, leave a comment along with your e-mail address on the blog between now and then. The criteria for the contest is simple - if you make it to 10k steps (and take a picture of your pedometer to prove it) before the end of August, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 gift card to Amazon.com. 

We will also be tracking your weight loss percentage, so the more weight you lose, the better chance you have to win. The winner of the weight loss challenge will win the new cookbook "Weight Watchers In 20 Minutes". Even if you're not doing Weight Watchers, they have excellent recipes that are really good!

Tonya and I will posting updates about the contest but we'd love to hear your stories so be sure to leave comments. Once you sign up for the program, I will e-mail you the specifics along with a form to e-mail back that will list your current weight. If you're feeling brave, I highly recommend putting your weight on the blog. It's embarrassing I know, believe me. But there's something cathartic about admitting it to everyone. It's tough to do but take responsibility is a great place to start changing your lifestyle. 

We will publish a list of the competitors with some basic stats (weight if you're feeling especially brave). We also want a picture of you to put on the post so we can see the progress.

Are you ready to see if you can make it to 10k steps in a single day? At the end of the day there are no losers in this contest if you can get up to 10k steps in one day. You will be healthier, happier and will have accomplished something that most people don't do on a daily basis. 

Tell your friends about the contest, the more the merrier! It's completely free and its going to be a blast!