Do blind people walk more than the average person? Let’s find out!
by Beth
Without being able to drive, I’ve always thought that blind people who use guide dogs — especially those of us who live in big cities — must walk more than the average person does. Now I have a chance to prove it!
Easter Seals Headquarters started a six-week “Walk For U, Go The Extra Mile” challenge last Monday as part of its wellness program. Every employee received a free pedometer to keep track of their progress for six weeks, and those of us who meet the daily goal of 7,000 steps per day — a distance of 3.5 miles — throughout the entire six weeks will be entered into a drawing to win a six-month fitness club membership.
The human resources department here realized I wouldn’t be able to read the number of steps I’d taken each day on my own, so they ordered a special talking pedometer for me — it says my results out loud. And so, I’m on my way to prove my theory.
To apply to train with a Seeing Eye dog, you must be “capable of walking one to two miles a day.” Those of us who live in cities with our guide dogs can’t simply open a sliding glass patio door to let our dogs out. I take my Seeing Eye dog Whitney down the street, around the corner and to her favorite tree at least four times a day. That’s 1,000 steps per trip. And for the rest of the day, well, running errands in a city is like using one big treadmill. My talking pedometer counted out 12,157 steps the day I walked to Walgreens to pick up prescriptions, and that included a safety shortcut I took each way to cross State Street. Rather than deal with traffic, Whitney and I go down the subway stairs on one side, traverse under State Street, then come up the stairs on the other side. The way I look at it, every el station is a StairMaster.
This is only the first week, but thanks to my talking pedometer, I’m up to the challenge. I plan to keep you posted on my results as we go along — stay tuned!
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