I’m tagged.

I’ve been tagged. Well, self-enforced tagging, I’ve not gone out and got myself an ASBO. Although I might as well have done.  It’s through an initiative at work to get people to review their activity levels. Volunteers have been fitted with pedometers so that we can monitor our activity levels. The bench mark being 10,000 steps per day to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. 10,000 steps is a figure plucked out of the air, probably from the same place as the five fruit and veg a day campaign. These aren’t scientifically proven figures, just the figures the government has come up with which it thinks the public will accept.

This initiative was meant to help encourage all to make better lifestyle choices. In reality it’s become a competition and those who are less competitive are just giving up and going back to their old routines whilst those doing well can look smug. I sit somewhere in the middle. Interested in seeing how unfit I am but with no interest to improve myself. However, if I’m nowhere hitting 10,000 by the end of the day I feel guilty and have to go out for a walk. Trudging the streets at night, waiting to get mugged.

Some individuals are putting in sterling performances, 40,000 to 50,000 steps some days. On closer examination these performances aren’t want they seem to be. Sure they’ve racked up 50,000 steps but 49,000 of those were done whilst pissed on a pub crawl. I’m not sure it’s totally the right idea.

The competition is worldwide with some teams putting in performances far beyond us mere mortals, well, far beyond comprehension, over 50,000 step average per day for the past 70 days. That’s roughly 20 miles a day. What are they? Long distance lorry drivers who’ve lost their lorries?

I’m struggling to get 10,000!

What makes this more ironic is that currently the top team is from Imperial Tobacco. Go figure. There is something very wrong with the world.

Speaking of wrong, Yahoo is currently featuring a story billed as: Popular this week. Woman run over by Train. I can’t wait for next weeks headline. Back by popular demand: OAP chucked down stairwell.

I knew this internet thing was a bad idea.


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