Top ten most active activities

They say you should take 10,000 steps a day to be healthy. You can even count non-walking activities as steps. For instance, universalhealthcare.com says sawing firewood is the equivalent to taking 113 steps a minute.

Here’s the top ten activities:

1) Squash (348 steps)

–Squash at number one? It’s kinda like raquetball. But raquetball is ranked all the way down at #24.

2) Karate (290 steps)

3) Tae Kwon Do (290 steps)

4) Shoveling snow, heavy (278 steps)

5) Stair climbing, vigorous (267 steps)

6) Skiing, cross-country rapidly (256 steps)

7) Running a 6 minute mile (247 steps)

8) Jumping Rope, moderate/fast (244 steps)

–Jumping rope at #8? Who knew!?

9) Skiing, downhill rapidly (244 steps)

10) Hiking, 21-42 lb. load (232 steps)

It should be noted that all these activities are not actual steps taken in the activity, but it’s all built on the baseline of walking being 100 steps per minute. So canoeing leisurely is considered the equivalent to walking (both 100 steps per minute).

Here’s the rest of the list:

11) Volleyball, game (232 steps)

–Volleyball edges out basketball? That’s crazy!

12) Basketball, game (230 steps)

13) Running a 7 minute mile (222 steps)

14) Swimming, vigorous effort (222 steps)

15) Water Polo (222 steps)

16) Soccer, playing competitively (218 steps)

17) Hiking, 10-20 lb. load (217 steps)

18) Boxing, in a ring competitively (213 steps)

19) Elliptical trainer (203 steps)

20) Rowing, vigorous effort (203 steps)

21) Scuba diving (203 steps)

22) Bicycling (moderate, 12-13.9 mph) (200 steps)

23) Running a 8 minute mile (200 steps)

24) Racquetball, playing competitively (198 steps)

25) Football (189 steps)

26) Judo (187 steps)

–Judo at #26 is much less work than Karate (#2) and Tae Kwon Do (#3). Personally, I always thought of them as the same thing. But now I know Judo people are pansies.

27) Running a 9 minute mile (184 steps)

28) Aerobics (high impact) (182 steps)

29) Snowboarding, moderate (182 steps)

30) Stair climbing, moderate (180 steps)

31) Rowing, moderate (179 steps)

32) Circuit Training (178 steps)

33) Hockey (178 steps)

34) Jumping Rope, slow (178 steps)

–Now I can see why jumping rope was at #8, cuz that must be some INTENSE jump roping. INTENSE. RAWWWWRRR!

35) Skiing, downhill moderate (178 steps)

36) Snowshoeing (178 steps)

37) Tennis, singles (178 steps)

–Note: Tennis, doubles is listed at #73, 102 steps.

38) Gardening, heavy (174 steps)

39) Shoveling snow, moderate (174 steps)

40) Swimming, moderate effort (174 steps)

41) Hiking, general (172 steps)

42) Skiing, cross-country moderately (164 steps)

43) Ice skating, competitively (162 steps)

44) Mowing (160 steps)

45) Dancing, choreographed (158 steps)

46) Running, jogging (156 steps)

47) Aerobics (moderate) (154 steps)

48) Orienteering (151 steps)

–What is this? Ain’t this just hiking? Oh wait, maybe it is like hiking, but there’s some stop and go, cuz you have to orientate yourself.

49) Snowboarding, light (150 steps)

50) Softball (145 steps)

51) Yard Work, general (145 steps)

52) Soccer, recreational (144 steps)

53) Handball, recreational (142 steps)

54) Aerobic dancing, strenuously (140 steps)

55) Line Dancing (139 steps)

–Line dancing is apparently more work than fencing.

56) Fencing (133 steps)

57) Shoveling snow, light (133 steps)

58) Swimming, leisure (133 steps)

59) Boxing, non-competitive (131 steps)

60) Raking leaves (125 steps)

–Apparently raking leaves is more work than sawing firewood (#66).

61) Rollerblading, moderately (125 steps)

62) Golfing, without a cart (122 steps)

63) Aerobic dancing, low impact (118 steps)

64) Gardening, moderate (116 steps)

65) Skiing, cross-country slowly (114 steps)

66) Firewood, sawing (113 steps)

–Sawing firewood with 113 steps at #66 should be much higher on the list. Maybe this person is just breaking little kindlewood.

67) Cricket (111 steps)

68) Fishing, from river bank and walking (111 steps)

69) Rowing, light (111 steps)

70) Skiing, downhill slowly (109 steps)

71) Water Skiing (104 steps)

–Water skiing with 104 steps is only just a bit more work than walking at 100 steps?

72) Horseback riding, trotting (102 steps)

73) Tennis, doubles (102 steps)

74) Housework, vacuuming (101 steps)

75) Pilates (101 steps)

76) Badminton (100 steps)

77) Bicycling (leisurely, 10-11.9 mph) (100 steps)

78) Canoeing, leisurely (100 steps)

79) Walking at a normal pace (100 steps)

–Here is the main baseline, walking.

80) Water Aerobics (100 steps)

81) Yoga (100 steps)

82) Badminton (98 steps)

–Uh, badminton is listed twice? Here it’s 98 steps, it’s also listed at 100 steps.

83) Hoeing in a garden (96 steps)

–Hoeing in a garden. That’s funny.

84) Dancing, socially (93 steps)

85) Stair climbing, slow (90 steps)

86) Curling (89 steps)

87) Firewood, stacking (89 steps)

–Gotta love these firewood references.

88) Gymnastics (89 steps)

89) Bowling (87 steps)

90) Housework, washing windows (87 steps)

91) Volleyball, leisure (87 steps)

92) Washing the car (87 steps)

93) Weight lifting, moderate (87 steps)

94) Ice skating, leisurely (84 steps)

95) Golfing, with a cart (78 steps)

96) Painting/papering (78 steps)

97) Billiards (77 steps)

98) Gardening, light (73 steps)

99) Housework, light (72 steps)

100) Frisbee, general playing (67 steps)

–Where is “Frisbee, hard playing?”

101) Grocery Shopping (67 steps)

102) Weight lifting, light (66 steps)

103) Fishing, from boat, sitting (56 steps)

104) Housework, mopping floors (51 steps)

–HEY! Mopping floors is hard work. This list must be made a man who plays squash all day long, that never chops any wood.

105) Swimming, treading water (49 steps)

106) Horseback riding, walking leisurely (31 steps)

107) Tai Chi (8 steps)

108) Stretching (6 steps)

I am greatly disappointed that croquet is not on this list. I’d put it somewhere between Bowling (87 steps) and Billiards (77 steps)