Showing posts with label STAIRS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label STAIRS. Show all posts

Monday, June 15, 2015

STEP JOCKEY

I recently discovered STEP JOCKEY.  This is the mission statement of STEP JOCKEY taken directly from their website.
Labelling the world for calorie burn
Foods are labelled with calorie information so we know what we’re consuming. StepJockey is about the other side of the equation; labelling the physical world for calorie burn to promote health and wellness.
We aim to label and 'gamify' the world for health - starting with stairs.
StepJockey's evaluation and initial launch was seed-funded by UK Department of Health. We are private company with a social mission. 

I found this Step Jockey list of the benefits of stair climbing interesting.... NOT SURE HOW USEFULL #13 IS GOING TO BE FOR ME..
Is this a real photograph or some crazy PHOTOSHOPPED concoction?  (See below for your answer)
  1. Stair climbing is officially classed as a ‘vigorous exercise’ and burns more calories per minute than jogging.
  2. Stair climbing requires 8-9 times more energy expenditure than sitting and burns about 7 times more calories than taking a lift.
  3. You burn about 0.17 calories for every step you climb, so you burn roughly a calorie and a half for every 10 upward steps.
  4. You also burn calories going down. Every stair descended burns about 0.05 calories, so you burn 1 calorie for every 20 steps down.
  5. For buildings with five floors or less, it’s nearly always quicker to take the stairs. Studies show office workers save up to 15 minutes a day by taking the stairs.
  6. As well as guarding against heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers, stair climbing releases endorphins that produce feelings of wellbeing.
  7. Just 7 minutes stair climbing a day has been estimated to more than half the risk of a heart attack over 10 years.
  8. Stair climbing cuts carbon emissions. By ditching the lift in a typical office you will save between 0.3 and 0.6 Kg of Co2 a day.
  9. Professional skiers often climb stairs to keep competition-fit. Many models do the same to keep their legs toned for the catwalk.
  10. Climbing stairs is a classic ‘short burst’ exercise and ideal for the time-poor.
  11. The biggest variable in stair climbing is your weight. The heavier you are, the more calories you burn.
  12. Other variables affecting calorie burn while stair climbing include the angle of the stairs, your sex, climbing speed, age and general fitness.
  13. You burn more calories climbing stairs in high heels.
  14. It’s a myth that climbing stairs two at a time burns more calories. More energy is expended over time by taking things slowly.
  15. The greatest height reached climbing stairs in 12 hours was 33,000 feet by Chris Solarz of Philadelphia, USA. Solarz climbed 58,080 stairs.
  16. The 19th century is regarded by many as the golden era of stair construction. In the 20th century architects gave prominence to lifts. Now, with the emergence of ‘active design’, architects are once again making stairs more prominent.
  17. Many scientific studies show that simple stair prompts significantly increase stair usage. One trick is simply to point-out ‘hidden’ stairs
  18. The longest stairway listed by the Guiness Book of Records is the service stairway for the Niesenbahn funicular railway near Spiez, Switzerland. It has 11,674 steps and a round trip would burn over 3,000 calories.
  19. Going down stairs burns fewer calories but works and tones different muscles and joints. It’s also good for balance and coordination.
  20. The Roman architect Vitruvius established the first guidelines for the stair in the first century B.C, suggesting a 37 degree pitch. Most stairs are not dramatically different today.
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 SUNDAY MENU
breakfast   oatmeal w/raisins, turkey bacon              375 calories
lunch         spinach salad, almonds, ground lamb      919 calories
dinner        spinach salad, ground lamb meatballs    329 calories
SNACK    apples, rice cake minis                             924 calories
total caloric consumption 2547 calories
  

calories burned
STAIR CLIMBING (ground floor to 25th floor)  65 calories
elliptical 32 minutes                                                 587 calories
STAIR DESCENDING (25th floor to ground floor) 15 calories
TOTAL CALORIES BURNED  667 CALORIES

Friday net calories  calories 1880 calories





This steel sculpture is designed by Olafur Eliasson.  It is 9 (nine) meter-high walk-double spiral of steel in the entrance of the KPMG office building in Munich, Germany. The stair is called Umschreibung (Rewriting)  Umschreibung was completed in 2004. 





ATTEMPTING TO NAVIGATE THESE STEPS WOULD MAKE A CLIMB UP 25 STORIES SEEM LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK...if I ever found myself in Duisburg, Germany...I would surely check this out...
The city of Duisburg is now home to Crouching Tiger and Turtle, which could easily be described as a roller coaster without a roller coaster!  It stands about eleven meters in height and is part of the city’s Capital of Culture project. Crouching Tiger and Turtle, Magic Mountain (to give it its full name) is a work by sculptors Ulrich Genth and Heike Mutter. Visitors are encouraged to follow the twists and turns of the roller coaster and enjoy the surrounding Ruhr landscape from slightly different perspectives than usual!









Wednesday, June 10, 2015

CAPSULE ENDOSCOPY

Yesterday,  I followed my instructions and had only clear liquids after 12:00PM Noon.   After midnight, I started my complete fast.  Today, Wednesday, I head to the GI Lab (Gastro Intenstinal Lab) at the hospital for a some quick out-patient pill swallowing and to be fitted for the electronic 'belt' that I will be wearing for 8 hours.

I have used an Olympus camera for more than 10 years - although it never occurred to me to ingest it.

Through everything I have been through, I have remained completely vigilant about my daily visits to the fitness room.  I have tried insure that in every 24 hour day, I will have exercised.  Since yesterday, was another half-fasting day.  I was able to squeeze my Tuesday workout in at 12:30AM early, early yesterday morning.

This means that my next workout scheduled for Thursday can take place after a good nights sleep and after I have returned to normal eating.

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 TUESDAY MENU
breakfast    two eggs w/bacon, oatmeal w/prune, oat/honey granola   555 calories
lunch          Huge Spinach Salad, two apples, Whole Foods Granola  1209 calories
dinner        YELLOW JELLO                                                                 40 calories

total calories  1804 calories  


calories burned
12:30AM STAIR CLIMBING (ground floor to 25th floor) 65 calories(4 min, 3.45 sec)
12:40AM ELLIPTICAL 32 MINUTES (level 16, manual setting)  585 calories
01:20AM STAIR DESCENDING (25th floor to ground floor) 15 calories (2 min, 40.0 sec)

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED  665 CALORIES

MONDAY NET CALORIES 1139 CALORIES
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Thursday, June 4, 2015

STAIRWAY TO FITNESS HEAVEN

Stairway to fitness heaven

Once used by tobogganers, Swallow Cliff steps provide a tough but rewarding workout


I just made an appointment to visit one of my customers in Lockport, Illinois next week.  Before ending the conversation I was asked about my exercise routine.  I let my customer know that I am in training to hike Half Dome in October and that I have been climbing stairwells in tall buildings.  I was told of an outdoor set of stairs at a no-longer-functioning toboggan run at a Forrest Preserve Park in Palos Hills, Illinois.  Apparently this incline is 'only' 125 steps. The stone steps are not exactly all the same height (which allegedly makes this just a bit more challenging.) The folks that come to exercise here, will go up and down multiple times.  I  will consider exploring this either before or after my June 11th appointment in Lockport.




On Wednesday afternoon, I wrapped up my 'show' schedule (for a while.)   I packed my bags and left Shipshewana, Indiana and returned to Chicago.  Once  I returned, after a short break, I used the fitness room in my building for my daily workout.  I am slightly amazed that I managed to NOT miss a day while I have been criss-crossing the country the past week or so.  My healthy eating has suffered a bit, at least my workout regiment survived.   I have been telling myself for the past few days that I need to return to a caloric consumption much closer to 1000 calories/day than 2000/calories per day to reverse the direction of my weight in recent days.  TODAY,  THURSDAY SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TIME AND PLACE TO START (AGAIN.)

WEDNESDAY MENU

breakfast   three apples, oatmeal, three sausage patties                                  910 calories
lunch         deli roast beef slices, deli turkey slices, deli ham slices
                  tomato, three apples, deli slice swiss cheese                                 665 calories
dinner       Turkey & Cheddar Lunchables, two pears                                     464 calories

total calories consumed 2039 calories

calories burned
stair climbing from ground level to 25th floor          80 calories  (4 MINUTES, 7 SECONDS)
8:00PM elliptical machine             32 minutes        507 calories
stair descending from 25th floor to ground floor       20 calories  (2 MINUTES, 55 SECONDS)

total calories burned 607 calories

MONDAY NET CALORIES   1432 CALORIES



Tuesday, June 2, 2015

HECTIC TRAVEL SCHEDULE

Right now I am in the middle of a very hectic travel schedule. I will have had 5 consecutive days of trade shows, divided between three different cities, and three different trade shows.  When I looked at this schedule as it was approaching it appeared to me that there was no way that I could keep up my consistency of working out each day.

It appears that I was wrong (as I often am...)

I did have to schedule two workouts at 2:00AM and 3:00M in the morning.  Last night I did not get to exercise until 10:00PM and this morning I was back at it again at 6:00AM.  It appears that my last challenge will be to get to the elliptical machine before midnight on Wednesday evening and I will have successfully not missed a day.

MAY 30  TNNA SHOW                                     COLUMBUS, OHIO
MAY 31  TNNA SHOW                                     COLUMBUS, OHIO
JUNE 1   CHICAGO TEXTILE SHOW             CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
JUNE 2   CHICAGO TEXTILE SHOW             CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
JUNE 3   SHIPSHEWANA FABRIC SHOW      SHIPSHEWANA, INDIANA

I even managed to SQUEEZE IN a Rolling Stones concert along the way!

When criss-crossing the countryside on a tight schedule it is very helpful to have a reliable car.
I enjoy my 2012 HONDA CR-V (with approximately 115,000 miles...and counting...)


MONDAY MENU

breakfast    cup oat meal w/prune, two eggs, two slices turkey 'bacon'                     355 calories
lunch          MARIANO'S HUGE SPINACH SALAD with all the fixin'                  750 calories
dinner        spinach salad w/hearts of palm, beets, onion, tomato, mushrooms, etc
                  salmon burger, bowl MISO soup, potato pancake, cucumber salad
                  fresh corn on the cob                                                                                449 calories

calories consumed 1554 calories

calories burned
stair climbing from ground level to 25th floor          80 calories  (4 MINUTES, 43 SECONDS)
10:00PM elliptical machine          32 minutes         479 calories
stair descending from 25th floor to grind floor          20 calories  (2 MINUTES, 43 SECONDS)

total calories burned 579 calories

MONDAY NET CALORIES    975 CALORIES