Friday, May 13, 2016

Come Mow with Me

by Pa Rock
Fitness Nut

I've written about the FitBit before - the thin strip of plastic that fits around my wrist - like a wristwatch - and keeps me updated with  a wealth of information related to my health.   It also tells the time.   The FitBit tracks my heart rate and lets me know how many steps I take each day.  I currently chart my weight and blood sugar levels daily, and now with the aid of the Fitbit, I also keep a record of the number of steps that I take per day.

And I am learning a lot from the record-keeping.  I now know, for instance, that I walk a great deal more in warm months than during the winter, but my summer foot-mileage drops precipitously on rainy days.  The Fitbit has a vibrating alarm which lets me know when I have reached 10,000 steps in a day, so reaching that milestone has become my daily goal.  With the warm weather and regular sunny skies, I manage to hit the goal almost every day.  A week ago I actually managed over 15,000 honest steps in a single day.

I say "honest" steps because I have learned that the FitBit gives false readings on the days that I use the riding lawnmower.  My lawn, while basically flat, does have a lot of twists, and turns, and bumps, and dips - and mowing on the rider can at times feel somewhat like bull-riding.  When that happens, the FitBit gets the notion that I am walking or stomping about - and the steps begin adding quickly, although my feet are basically just resting on the deck of the mower.  It is not unusual to record a couple of thousand phony steps during a two-hour mowing session.

Oral Roberts University is a Bible college in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that is not necessarily known for high academic achievement or standards.  (Marcus and Michele Bachmann are two or ORU's more notable graduates.)  Recently though, the religious institution has made a move that some might regard as somewhat progressive.  Oral Roberts University has managed to slap a FitBit on the wrist of each of its students.  And, if news reports out of Tulsa are to be believed, all of those students are expected - or at least encouraged - to take 10,000 steps a day.  Apparently the school has some way of collecting data from the FitBits and can monitor the walking habits of the entire student population.

So here's my proposition to all of the would-be future mega-church leaders and television beggars now attending ORU:   On those days when you just don't feel up to doing another ten thousand steps, get thee to a riding mower and pile on the miles while taking a spin around the yard. .  Scam the system while making America beautiful.  There ought to be plenty of raggedy yards around Tulsa to tackle, and, if you ever find yourselves over in Missouri, please know that you can mow my yard anytime!

It's all for the greater good!

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