Week 3

I am almost done with my first set of 30 days.  I will post a final commentary on how I did; but to catch up with week 3 -it was a very hard week for me.  My legs hurt, my son was leaving to go out of town for 10 weeks, and overall I really just didn't have the urge or the want to make sure I hit my 20,000 step mark.  To say that this lofty goal is easy well it's not.  My third week was pitiful.  Having life get in the way even for just one or two day's really deterred the momentum that I had built the first two weeks.  This of course can certainly be counted as one of those life lessons that just because things didn't go the way I wanted or had planned for the entirety of the month, did not mean that I had to give up or throw in the towel for good.  Once the drama had tapered I got right back on that 20,000 step goal and plowed it out and will for the next few more days.

Week 2

Here I am another week down.  I've had to find clever ways to get my steps in every day.  I've started parking at the top of the parking ramp forcing myself to walk down 4 flights of stairs to get to the office and of course back up those same 4 flights at the end of the day.  Walking the dog every day, which she absolutely loves, turning some music on and dancing with my son just be fun and crazy, and some time consuming things like folding each item in the laundry basket and walking them one at a time to be put away.  This of course is on top of nightly walks and jogs on the treadmill.  

There are many creative ways to make sure that we can all get in our daily steps, even if you aren't trying to reach the lofty goal of 20,000 steps every day -just making sure you make it to 10,000 can make a big change.  Some fun ways to get those extra weekly miles can be as simple as taking a walk in a local park.  Grabbing a camera and taking pictures of things that inspire you or things that you feel are just plain beautiful.  If nature's not your thing and you really don't feel that you "get along" with the great out doors, there are plenty of shopping malls that have indoor walking clubs -just don't buy everything you see.

Well - maybe some more inspiration next time- I have to finish my steps for today!  Keep Walking!

Finishing Week 1

One week ago today I embarked on my first 30 day experiment.  To walk 20,000 steps per day; and let me tell you -it’s a lot harder than you think.  The photo is off my fitbit tracker website.  I added the red lines in the hopes of making it easier to see; the vertical line being my start date June 1st.  Some of the physical benefits I have noticed just within the first week include: added visible definition to my thigh muscles a loss of 2 pounds and a loss of 1 inch from my thighs and 5 inches from my waist (which I did not know there was that much to lose).  Note I didn't take my first set of measurements until June 3 so I was already into my experiment.  Some of the down sides to all this extra walking, well my feet hurt even in good walking shoes -a hike around the lake with the dog on Tuesday night was definitely noted.  I've also been experience interruptions in my sleep -waking at 1 or 2 in the morning.  I would not have thought that more movement would have equated to the need for less sleep, but I'm not tired throughout the day despite the early rise (almost 4 hours before the alarm).

Here's to another week.  May my feet get stronger!

Day 2

Just to warn you, I will not bore you with a day by day account of how I am accomplishing my generous amount of steps.  But just a note about day 1: I worked a double shift, and while I can typically rack up 8,000-10,000 steps in a normal work shift I must have had a rather easy day.  When I arrived home @ 10:30pm I had only managed to accumulate just over 11,000.  Rather than hopping on the treadmill to pound out the last of my steps, I decided to treat my poor dog that had spent the entire day inside to a late night walk.  Besides the fact that it was an absolutely gorgeous night it took me almost the remaining time till midnight to complete the last of my steps.  Whereby I crawled into bed rather tired a few minutes past the witching hour.  Day 1 certainly seems a clue that I will need to pay more attention to my steps throughout the day as I will undoubtedly not survive the next 29 days if I'm finishing up just a few hours before I need to hit the snooze button.

Day 1

So here I am attempting something new for the next 30 days.  I thought I would start out simple.  I have this pedometer by Fitbit.com that electronically tracks my steps, miles, rests, and sleeping habits.  I have been good at getting close to 10,000 steps a day so for the next 30 days I will attempt to double this number to 20,000 steps.  So what this means is that even if at the end of my day, I'm not quite there, I will have to get myself on to the treadmill till I have achieved this goal before I can go to bed.  Wish me Luck!

The Premise