I have a vivid memory of buying  myself a pedometer  (aka a primitive Fitbit) in 2003; apparently one had to have one in order to do the recommended 10,000 steps a day (yup not a lot has changed - it's a 2 decade's old health target).  

I recall my pedometer was a pretty flimpsy, low tech affair with none of the style of the gadgets and gizmos you can get these days.

But low tech did the trick;  I threw it out after the first wearing when I hit 9,000 steps before 11am and I hadn't even left the house!  

I lived in one of those tall, thin London terraced houses.  My home office was on the top floor and I kept forgetting things three flights of stairs away; it seemed that a bad memory has its benefits!

Fast forward 17 years and here I am living in the desert where by all accounts it's hard to meet the  step targets because it's hot out there!

Last year, when I was not sleeping too well, a friend recommended I get a Fitbit with which I could monitor my sleep patterns.  Cool I thought.  It was a lot cheaper than the BD300 the sleep clinic wanted to charge for one night's sleep and it was rather stylish to boot.

For once I was going to be part of a fashion/fitness trend.

Of course, along with the sleep analysis came a step counter, heart monitoring, fitness assessment, exercise tracking,  nutrition logging and water consumption, none of which I was particularly bothered about; my drink of preference is water, I'm just about everything free for health reasons and rate myself as relatively fit,despite a few creaks, aches and pains, due to daily dog walking and dog training.

Thankfully, the sleep analysis was extremely useful and I was soon back to a regular sleep pattern.  

Now I really don't class myself as an athlete and I only do 1 or 2 sessions of back rehabilitation work a week (that never seems to count as exercise in Fitbit terms - go figure)  yet the thing that blew my mind was the step counter; on a typical day I hit 10,000 steps before lunch time! Yesterday I clocked a whopping 23,166 steps.

How?  I dog walked, cleaned and pottered in my garden.  But the biggest addition to the step tally was the amount of paces I continue to expend looking for things - yup, I am as forgetful and absent minded as ever! 

So while I don't recommend memory loss - it is a serious concern, can be very distressing and requires a trip to the doctor to rule out anything sinister -  making several trips around the house looking for your keys, mobile phone, glasses, belt and what not has its health benefit.  

Add to this a quick flit with a duster, a floor mop shuffle, the wash day waltz and how about a salsa with a broom and before you know it you're well on your way to 10,000 steps.  

Many of my steps come from dog walking so, if you don't have a dog, head to the BSPCA every weekend to walk one of theirs.

What's your step story?  

This morning I am at 6,000 steps and it's only 9am ... has anyone seen my glasses?